The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-14
OUR LETTER FROM LIBBY
Starting of the Concentrator at
the Buzz Saw Mine.
MILL ON FISHER CREEK
Machinery for Another Ten Stamp Mill
on the Way From Chicagc-For
the Development of Cop
per Properties.

Special Correspondence of the Standard.
Libby, Nov. 10-The concentration on the
Buzz Saw mine has started up and is
now running on about 70 tons of ore a
tons, but owing to a defect in the ma
chinery the above amount is all that can
be put through at the present time. The
trouble lies with the Gates Iron works
people of Chicago, who put in the ma
chinery for the plant. and that company
has had its representative here for some
time looking into the matter.
The trouble is that the buckets from
the first to the second pair of rolls are
not large enough to carry the ore. This
defect will be remedied soon as pos
sible and the mill will be worked to it's
full capacity. 1t is understood that the
Gates Iron company has lost a big sum
in penalties on account Of this fault in
the construction of the plant, as it has
not only caused the Libby Creek Min
ing company a, direct loss in money, but
has retarded the development and ope-
ration of the mine.
In this connection also Arthur Wins
low, the president of the United States
and British Columbia Mining company.
which in turn owns the Libby Creek
Mining company, was in Libby. and it is
understood that he was anything but
pleased with the condition of affairs ION
account of che defect in the machinery.
In the plans and construction of the
plant, which have been under the direct
supervision of J. NJ. Dikeman, there has
not been fault and everything about the
new mill and the development of the
mine has been done in the very best pos
sble manner. Had the mill worked all
right it would have been in operation a
month ago, or at the time Mr.. Dikeman
announced it would be running The ope-
ration Of this plant means the addition
of another dividend-payer to the town
and its effects are already felt in great
many ways. The mine and mill employ
in the neighborhood Of so men.
Another Mill Has Started Up.
Information brought down from the
West Fisher is to the effect that the To-
stamp mill which the Fisher Creek Min
ing company has been building on the
Brick g. Brannagan properties in that
section the past summer has been COM
pleted and the stamps are now drop
ping on the ore, Only five stamps were
started up at first to test the plant, and
it is reported that everything is all right
and that the plant will be run to its full
capacity from now ON. The machinery
was put in place by George Blackwell,
one of the best-knoWn mill men in the
Occur d'Alenes, and he is to have charge
of the plant this winter. The ore is free
milling gold and there is reported to be
enough in sight to keep the mill running
some time. More men are being added
to the force in the mine and there Is a
good demand for miners in that section.
In connection with this plant there are
great many who are watching its opera
ton, and in the event of the cleanup
being what the owners of the mill antici-
pate there will be a mill building boom in
the spring in that section. for there are
great many properties on the same
lead and in the same character of ore.
which are considered by those who own
them equally well developed as the Brick
& Brannagan, and consequently as able
to warrant the erection OF a mill.
More Machinery the Road.
William Beager, manager Of the Amer
lean Kootenai Mining company. has re-
ceived notice that one carload of ma
chinery left Chicago on last Monday for
this place and the remainder of the plant
will follow in short time. This ma
chinery is for 10-stamp mill which this
company will put up on its property on
the West Fisher in the spring. 1t is be-
ing furnished by the Fraser & Chalmers
company and IS of the very latest de-
sign. Already this company has a COM
piete sawmill plant at Libby and this
will be taken up to the mines as soon as
the snow falls. The machinery for the
stamp mill will also be taken in on the
snow, as the roads at the present time.
owing to the recent rains, are not strong
enough to hold up the heavy loads which
some of the machinery would make.
This company has just let a contract
for 100 feet of work on tho Gold Bug
and the Gold King, two of its claims. and
this contract Is for the purpose of as
certaining what the rock can be broken
for. and when this is determined 1t is
announced that" a contract will be let
for all winter, or until the mill is in
operation next spring. For this purpose
Mr.. Beager has sent into the mine pro-
visions and powder enough to last Is men
until the 1st Of next May This COM
pany has ample means to carry on any
of its plans and nothing will be spared
in the way of expense to put the mine
and mill In the best shape possible in
the shortest space of time
To Develop Copper Properties.
Messrs. Ross Bros. have left for Troy,
where they will put in the winter doing
development work on four claims which
they own about 80 miles south of that
place. On one of them, the Iowa, they
have an So-foot adit tunnel and a 4O-foot
crosscut tunnel and in this crosscut
they intend to do the most of their work