The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1899-06-17

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41.9" e'~';,s~
RUDEFEHA NINE "GRUBHOUSE."
able, in the miners eyes, than the
richest Of golden %bonanzas.
A vein of copper ore, averaging over
seven feet in width, has enabled its
lucky finder to sail for a visit to his
home at Cumberland, England, with
$50, 900 in the bank to his credit, with
which to administer comfort to an
aged father and mother, whom he had
not seen before in fourteen years.
During the early part of October the
first carload of ore shipped to Chicago
brought a check of 1864 above all
transportation charges. This first ship
ment averaged 1918 per cent copper,
but no return was made by the smelter
for either gold or silver. The last
carload shipped to the Argo smelter
ran over 35 per cent copper and 1.96
in gold, and one ounce of silver to the
ton. For this carload q check for $1,435
was received.
The story of Ed Haggerty and the
discovery of the Rudefeha mine is
plain but alluring. Haggerty began
prospecting, as he says, because he had
never been able to save a cent working
for wages. The first prospecting was
at Sandstone, about fifteen miles from
Grand Encampment, Wyo, but 1t was
not until the spring of 1897 that he
first saw the prospect" that has since
made him a fortune and a reputation
as a miner. On this journey Haggerty
was accompanied by several copper
miners from Douglas mountain in Col
orado. The party camped a few days
at Battle lake, nea the top of the con-
tinental divide. One of these men told
Haggerty that he was looking for red,
spongy iron ore at the surface, as he
considered it to be a much surer in
dication of copper than the green cop
per stains for which most prospectors
looked.
On the morning of June 20, 1897,
Haggerty left the camp and headed for
a big quartzite dixie some three or four
miles away, plainly visible at that dis
lance on account of it's immense size,
but although it was in the latter part
of June, Haggerty was unable to reacn
this dixie, as the snow had not yet left
that side of the mountain.
On July Is he finally reached the
white quartzite dixie, for which a
month before he had wallowed in vain.
He discovered that tons of ore had
rolled down the mountain side, and
that the quality C the ore answered
the description of the Douglas noun
tain copper miner. On closer exam
ination of the ore he found a few
pieces of the hard sulphide ore stained
green in places with copper. Haggerty
at once set up a location stake, erected
a monument, and thus took possession,
by law, of a t~wenty-acre tract of min
ing land, which he christened in his
location notice as the "Rudefeha Lode
Mining Claim" the name being com
posed of the two first letters Of the
name of each of the partners-Rum-
sey, Deal, Ferris and Haggerty.
Haggerty was o convinced that he
had at least a copper prospect worth
working, and he appealed to his part
ners to work the claim during the win
ter. Ferris and Deal were both will
ing, but Rumsey was afraid the ground
was not worth the spending of more
money, and the work was accordingly
delayed, and Rumsey's one-fourth in,
terest was afterward purchased fol
81 900 by Ferris. Haggerty hen hired
out to a man north of Rawlins, Wyo.
as a sheep herder, in order that he
might make his expenses until spring
opened up. Not until the latter par
of June was he able to find a barren
place large enough on which to pitch
a tent when he made location on foul
claims adjoining the Rudefeha, and
proceeded to trace the vein far up the
hill, finding it about five feet in width
at the bottom. He next began to sinh
a shaft SO as to catch the vein on its
dip, and at a depth of thirty feet he
struck the original vein. At this depth
a heavy flow of water entered the
shaft and Haggerty went to Grand En-
campment to get mining supplies.
While he was away on this trip Ferris
went into the hills to see the prop
CITY, anu ne III TURN was 81 eldIeu at
the prospect that he instructed Hag-
gerty to cut a wagon road up to the
mine and prepare for more extensive
operations. Supplies were then hauled
IN and eight men on Sept. II cut the
first log for the buildings, while by
Sept. % the work in the mine had been
resumed and the water was being
taken out. Owing to the great depth
OF snow covering the mountains of the
continental divide, the mine is now
being worked under almost Alaskan
difficulties.