Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-09-01
OUR BUDGET FROM BUFFALO
Our Correspondent NarrateS the DoinsS
Of the Camp.

DtFFAlO, aug. Z4.-I ne lnclein-
ent weather Of the past week has
greatly inconvenieneed mining
men in general. However, the
hills have thrown off their white
garb again and although the rivu-
lets are much swollen the festive
frogs can still jump from bank to
bank. But the local prophets
think the weather settled now and
predict several weeks of that de-
lightful autumnal season so pecu-
liar to the Bitter Root range, ere
winter sets in.
Colonel Bracke ett, the well-known
explorer and mining man, has ar
rived from the Dixie district, and
is camped, with one of his finely
equipped outfits, on the breaks
about mile east of town. Colonel
Brackett is in good health and
spirits, and to your correspondent
this evening expressed himself as
well pleased with the discoveries
made by his men so far this season,
in the Hump neighborhood, the
Warren district, along the south
fork of the Clearwater and on War
Eagle mountain east of the Warm
Springs, nearly all of which will
be developed on large scale next
season. Colonel Brackett is very
much impressed with the possibili-
ties of Buffalo Hump in a mining
way, and is anxious to have n
wagon road built from Adams
camp into the Hump at once. Re-
ferring to this matter of universal
interest he said "Wagon roads
are invariably forerunners of rail-
ways in districts possessed of great
natural resources. ! am sure that
this rich Buffalo Hump belt is des-
tined to become a great ore pro-
ducer. This opinion | give, not
solely on the strength of my own
judgment, for l have talked with
a number OF Old-time and reliable
Colorado mining men who have
been here now for sixty days ac-
quiring reliable information, and
they are unit in the same opinion
The supervisors of Idaho county
should take hold of the matter and
at least assist in building a wagon
road into what promises to be the
greatest mining camp in the world.
Now Grangeville has a great
future in store, providing her mer-
chants and other citizens unite be-
fore it is too late, and use their in
fluence and materially assist in
pushing wagon road over the
nearest and most feasible route to
Buffalo Hump. 1t retards business
in more ways than one to be
obliged to have goods packed into
a progressive camp like this and
pay the consequent prices. If
Grangeville people do not awaken
to the necessity of this, they will
lose golden opportunity, for as
sure as fate, if the matter is de-
layed much longer, the wagon road
will be extended from Badger to
the Hump, and when the Northern
Pacific is constructed up the south
fork of the Clearwater, which it
will be eventually, Grangeville will
find a strong commercial rival some
where in the neigborhood of Elk
City or Dixie. / have examined
the grade from Stuart to Harpster
and find it is only ] of / per cent,
and from Harpster to the meadows
near Elk City it is nearly the same.
But Grangeville has the. banks and
stores, and has already attracted a
world wide reputation, and if wag-
on road communication is estab-
lished at once with Buffalo Hump,
it will do much to. facilitate early
railway connections outside of the
proposed Clearwater branch of the
n. p, and the town will go ahead
by leaps and bounds. You have
suggested that $4,000 would ex-
tend the wagon road from Adams
camp to the Hump. Now l would
be one of 80 men to contribute
800 each to have the road built at
onceo
The Buffalo Hump Engineering
company has established well.
equipped quarters here and is seek
ing public patronage, in the way ol
surveying and engineering, expert.
ing mines, placing machinery and
assaying. The laboratory is under
charge of J. r. Wolfe, the field
and underground work is being
looked after by J. II. Zeither, late.
ly with the Tangier and Waverly
mines, It'd, of Albert Canyon, B.
c., and Otto Abeling, the we'll
known expert, attends to examina
tions, reports, and erection of ma
chinery. The laboratory of thi,
company is splendidly equipped
and Mr.. Wolfe comes highly recon-
mended. We have now three goot
assayers at the Hump, namely
Moore, True and Wolfe.
James McCaffrey has returned
from Crooked creek with a fin,
collection Of ores from that district