The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-11
MINING AROUND LIBBY
A Promising Strike Made by
Greenwsll and Vaughn.
HAVE 100000 IN SIGHT
People of Libby Aroused Over a Con-
test Filed by the Northern Pacific.
1t Involves Several Hundred
Acres of Land

seems TO nave started in very auSpici-
ously for Libby in mining circles and
report of the most promising nature
ever made in this district has been
brought to town this week The strike
has been made by Greenwich and
Vaughn. two placer miners who have
been working at the head of Libby
creek just below the falls for several
years. They have been working in the
past in the channel of the creek and
on low bar on the north side of the
creek. On the other side of the creek
the bank rises almost perpendicularly
About six weeks ago they started
tunnel into this bank with the inten-
ton OF running it to cross-cut a small
quartz lead which they had found On
the surface some hundreds of feet
back from the creek. They expected
to encounter the country rock IN a
short distance, but they have not done
so yet, though they have driven 60 feet.
Shortly after starting the tunnel they
cut through the clay cement that has
been considered the bedrock on Libby
heretofore The whole tunnel is in a
gravel bank and there is not foot
of it that does not give very high prCs-
in every pan, and it is all coarse gold,
ranging in Size from the head of a pin
to kernel OF wheat There is about
l25 feet of the gravel above the tunnel,
and the owners are continuing the tun-
mel to determine it's width. Stories of
rich strikes in mines are generally to
| be received with a great deal of doubt,
but this one comes unusually we'll au-
| thenticated. The news was brought to
| town by James S. Kennedy and George
Hawkins. both placer miners of 60
years experience They have some
| placer claims at the mouth of Ramsey
creek on Libby. They have both visit
| ed the new discovery and PANIED the
| gravel, and are most positive in their
| statements. Both have been mining in
| this section for years. Most of the
| Libby creek miners are spending the
winter in town, and none of them ques-
| ton the truth of the statements made.
| Mr.. Kennedy says he believes that
| Greenwich and Vaughn already have
| 100000 in sight The ground where the
| discovery has been made, as We'll as
for several miles below, has been held
and worked for placer for eight or 10
| years This sounds a great deal like
a klondike story and it has the ac-
| compartment of Klondike weather.
| From four to five feet of new snow
has fallen in the mountains during the
| past week. and the thermometer has
shown degree of cold which has not
been experienced here before by the
oldest inhabitant. The mercury reg
| fstered a temperature of "a degrees be-
| low zero yesterday. Kennedy and
Hawkins were three days coming from
Ramsey creek on snow shoes, and were
| out two nights without food and blank
| cts. They built a fire and stood around
it at night. Hawkins froze one of his
hands and both of his feet, but not
severely, and he will be all right in
| few days.
| A Contest Filed.
The people of this community
have been considerably aroused
| during the past two weeks by
notice of contest filed in the Kali
ispell land Office by the Northern Pa
cific Railroad company. This contest
is directed against the reports of the
Missoula mineral land commission on
| this country, which were filed two
| years ago. The commissioners found
| practically the whole western part Ct
| Flathead county to be mineral and so
returned it to the land office The
| Northern Pacific reserved its right of
| contest by filing what is known as a
| blanket protest, and now, after the
lapse of two years, disputes the class
ification of the commission, and will
| endeavor to prove the ground non
mineral. The ground contested in
cludes all the territory in this county
west of north and south line drawn
| through Libby. This covers working
mines in Flathead county and three
fourths of the unpatented locations
1t includes the whole of the Libby
creek, Troy, Callahan creek, Lake
creek, Grouse mountain and Sylvanite
mining districts. Judge George D.
Orner, special agent of the interior
department, has been in Libby for the
past 10 days looking after testimony
in support of the report of the mineral
land commissioners. He has now gon2
to kalispell to endeavor to secure The
hearing Of the contest at Libby. so IS
to save expense of taking witnesses
to kalispell The contest is set for
Kalispeli on the 18th. II involves sew
eral hundred thousand acres Of land
and affects the title of more mining
claims than all the contests that have
been held since the Northern Pacific
first began to assert its claim to min
eral lands.
The Snowshoe Mine.
The English company which bought
the SnoWshOc mine last summer has
been pushing development on This
property with great energy, and with
remarkably good results. The main
tunnel has been driven in to the depth
of 200 feet, and No. . tunnel is in be
tween 700 and 500 feet. Both of these
tunnels arc on the lead. No. being
175 feet higher up the mountain thar
No. /. A Wine was started in No
l tunnel 125 feet from its mouth anG
has been sunk SIS feet For its entire
depth it carries two and a half feet q
first class clean ore, which can be ship,
ped direct to the smelters and will as
say higher than the manufactured con.
centrates. The lead in the winze is
from five to eight feet in width. the
remainder being concentrating ore
The tunnels are also in concentrating
ore for almost their entire length lr
addition to this development a cross
: cut tunnel has been started to encoun.
ter the lead, 175 feet below No. tun-
: mel. An air COMPRISING plant to rur
t six Rand drills is being installed ant
: a steam hoist is being put in No.
tunnel TO continue sinking in the
wtnZe. The mine is equipped with
| cOnCentratDr capable of handling l5t