Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-05-05

swiped from the buckets at the Big
Buffalo shaft was S37, and the as
says run all the way from that to
$24O. The employees are under
stringent orders to keep their
mouths shut. / had a talk with
one of them that works at the bot
tom Of the Big Buffalo shaft the
other day. l give you his name,
but not for publication, as he
would get fred too quick. He said
that every shot they put in made
the mine show up better, and that
the pay streak was widening all the
time at the bottom of the shaft.
The employees are not allowed to
touch piece of rock either in the
shaft or on the dump.
"Mikc Sweeney is in camp buy
ing everything in sight. He and
the party with him claim to be
buying for their private use, but
everyone in camp is onto the fact
that they are purchasing for the
Big Buffalo syndicate.
1t is as well to pause to remark
that this is an exceedingly inter
esting piece of information. The
DAILY PRESS published this mission
of Mike Sweeney's at the time that
gentleman started from Grangeviile
to the Hump. A gentleman in the
syndicate Office ridiculed the notion
that Mike intended buying any
thing at the Hump and offered
the reporter for this paper a half
interest in anything Mike might
buy in the camp.
'It is a wonderful camp con-
tinued Mr.. Holsclaw. Nothing
pinches out. There is not single
claim that has been located on %
ledge that has failed to improve
both in size and values with depth.
Take the Gem, for instance. This
is an extension OF the Winslow.
The surface showing was but eleven
inches, and now they have got
four or five feet. So it is w ith
every genuine claim in the camp.
OF course there have been good
many snow locations made, and a
large number of claims have been
blazed upon trees showing above
ten feet of snow. When the snow
goes off the owners will have to use
a step ladder to read their notices.
When bare of snow, that Hump
country is the roughest imaginable.
Now, of course, it is all leveled up.
Many men who are going out now
after stalking out their claims in
the snow, will never be able to find
their locations in the world when
they return after the snow has
gone.
sNo, the water in the Big Buff
falo shaft is not bothering them
much. The principal drawback to
the camp is the weather. Out of
the two months / spent there we
only had two fine days. The cold
is not so intense, but it storms all
the time. The morning will break
with blaze of sunshine, but be-
fore breakfast is over it will be
blowing and showing SO that it is
impossible to stand. We had q
warm spell couple of weeks ago,
however, when the snow began to
melt and slide. Inever heard any
thing like it in my life. 1t sound
ed as though the whole mountain
were tearing loose. Slides were
going constantly on every side, and
the crash of slides from mountains
ten miles away could be distinctly
heard and felt. 1t didn't sound
like soft snow, but more like ice
falling upon ice."
The three Holsclaw brothers
have two groups of claims on the
north side of Lake creek, seven
claims on the extension of the
Crackerjack, and five on what is
known as the Big Salmon ledge,
the third extension OF the Winslow.
81 Holsclaw returns to the Hump
in a couple Of weeks.