The Anaconda standard., 1899-09-05

Yogo fork of the Judith, and for some
time there was a large amount Of pros
pecting done all through that region.
No doubt was held as to the presence
of gold, for it was found in nearly ev-
cry gulch in the neighborhood, but no.
where in paying quantities. The rush
subsided and Yogo gulch again became
g. very excellent grazing country and
nothing more.
In 1895, sixteen years after the early
rush, Messrs. Hobson, Hoover and Bo-
vett became convinced that with prop
er methods there was money in wash
ing out the gold found in the lower
part Of the canyon of the Yogo, and
also in the gulches which either led into
1t or running parallel with it dip into the
Judith. For this purpose they took up
the water rights at about the only ac-
cessible place on the Yogo and built
ditch and f1ume downward toward The
Judith and at a slight angle to the
course of the Yogo. 1t cost thousands
of dollars-they estimated it later at
$3S,000-and it covered an immense deal
Of land. The search for gold seems
not to have been a bonanza at the time
Of operation, but it led to the discovery
of the sapphire lode. From time to
time in making the clean-ups the gold
hunters found scattering sapphires, of
an intense blue color, hut of unknown
value to them. Sometimes there were
two or three, and again there were
many of them and again there would
=, p1na tn, io11 IA
be found. The number seemed to vary
with the locality. At the last they
crossed vein of grayish clay in which
they found neither gold nor sapphires.
Looking for the Source.
Meantime it had occurred to Hoover
that the sapphires must be of consid-
cradle value and he began to search
for their source. Above the fiume and
the placer claim was a steeply rising
hillside, rocky, partly covered with
timber. The rock, Hoover had observ-
4 ed several times lay close to the sur 4
face and was hard, so when he or
James Ettien discovered an immense
badger hole, evidently extending into
the ground for many feet and with a
huge mound of earth thrown up in
front of it, he decided that here must
occur a break in the. formation. In
formation at hand differs as to which of
the two men found the badger hole, but
the discoverer had the good sense to
investigate and soon picked up a few
sapphires from the mound. This set
tied the sapphire lode in Hoover's mind
and he at once took up three claims
along the lad of clay, which later
proved to be continuation of the strip
crossed by the fiume. It could be trac-
ed for miles, varying in width from 10
to so feet and well-defined on each side
by heavy growth Of timber, while the
vein itself is as bare as a gumbo fiat.
Ettien took up claim on the vein lust
below Hoover and the lowest claim in
the possession of the present COMPANY.
Blue Diamond No. 2. Further down
the vein seems to dip into the ground |
and disappear.
Some of the stones discovered Hoover
sent away to New York and had cut |
and he was in the city in the fall CT es |
and had them set by John Barron, now |
employed by Leys of Butte. Among
others, Hoover showed them to the |
writer, and they were a surprise to ey- |
eryone. Plenty of Montana sapphires |
had been seen before, of every color |
from pale yellow to an orange red, and |
from light green shading through all
tones of that color to blue They had |
been tested and were not hard, they |
would not hold their color nor their
brilliancy, and after a short run of
popularity were regarded as worth
about as much as broken glass. Hoov-
er's specimens were different. They
had the brillancy and the intense color
Of the oriental stone, and the ieweler
VINO set them stated that they We're
harder beyond comparison than all of
the other sapphires he had handled.
There Was Money in II.
Matthew Dunn of this city examined
the stones, and partly because he be-
heved Hoover had a good thing in |
them and partly out or friendship for
Hoover. he advanced the latter $500
without security as a fund on which
TO oegin work. 1t was good invest
ment, for it has netted Mr.. Dunn Just
$6o,oOo since that time. Several hun
dred loads of earth We're taken from
the claim, carted to the Judith river
and washed out and the resulting
stones Mr.. Dunn took to New York,
where they were examined by jewellers !
and pronounced the real thing. At the
same time they would advance but a
small portion of the sum which they
said the stones were worth or would
be worth when they were cut. Two such &
trips were made by Mr.. Dunn, who then {
began to see that it was necessary to {
obtain supply of water for washing !
out the stones, as carting the earth to 6
the river was too expensive. Hoover I
had fallen out with his former partners,
Messrs. Hobson and Bovett, and they !