The Anaconda standard., 1899-12-19
THE MINES OF MADISON
Dawn of a New Era in Alder
Gulch Placer Mining.
THE GRAVELLY RANGE
Settlement OF Old Disputes-Schemes
for Getting Water Conduit
Twenty Five Miles Long.
Vast Deposits.
Special Correspondence of the Standard.

Special Correspondence of the Standard.
| Sheridan, Dec. 1S.-The man must be
a pesSimist of most pronounced type
| who fails to see in the present condition
| and prospects of the mining industry in
Madison county aught but the fairest
auguries of a season of prosperity un.
exampled since the first few years of
its existence, when Alder and contigu-
Gus gulches were yielding their mil
| lions in golden treasure with rapidity
| unprecedented in the annals of gold
| digging. At least that is the way 1t
| looks to the Standard correspondent
| after brief visit to some of the most
prominent districts in this corner of the
state, and that is the way the people
| feel, think and talk. The year that is
closing has been prosperous one for
| miners. Quartz and placer operations
have both received decided impetus,
| and the net results from both have been
more than usually profitable and salts
| factory. There is substantial ground
| for believing that the advance which
has been made this year will be still
| further accelerated and the yield Of the
precious metals which has been given
! in 1899 VIII be largely augmented in
! the years to come.
| The new era in placer mining which
| has lately been inaugurated will be a
| potent motor in achieving these re-
| suits. The success Of the German Bar
Gold Mining company in working owe,
the old ground in Alder gulch with
| their dredging machines and the opera
tions of the two dredges near the
| miuth of that gulch, which, despite an
noying delays arising from changes of
| apparatus necessary to meet the re-
quirements Of different conditions from
| those expected, have demonstrated be-
| yond peradventure that this branch Of
| the mining industry is yet in its in
fancy in Madison county. Enough
| prospecting has been done to show that
| there are thousands of acres in the
! holdings of the companies operating
| these machines which will pay hand
| so1nely for working.
| There are enormous areas of gola
bearing gravel besides these that are
| known to be good for small wages
even by the primitive methods of show
| cling and sluicing by hand. A company
! is now in process of organization to
| work one of these tracts near the con-
fuence of Bivens, California and Harris
| gulches, a short distance from the town
| of Laurn, in the central Ruby basin.
| All the ground proposed to be taken in
| by this company has been prospected
| for many years past Gn fact ever since
| the discovery of Alder) and several
| times parties have essayed to work it;
| but, though there is gold there in large
| quantities, there is not enough to JUS
| tify the employment of hands at min
| ers' wages to work it under the old
| methods It is a gilt edge proposition
! for dredger, however The Standard
| reporter is reliably Informed that the
| organization of the company will short
| ly be accomplished and the apparatus
be ready to operate as soon as spring
| opens.
| At another place, about 80 miles fur
.Io,, tTF,y.
| Spring creek empties into the Ruby.
| is another property which will in all
probability be operated with a dredge
| next season. 1t is controlled by an
| Ohio company and comprises a large
| tract of auriferous gravel lying adVan-
| tageously contiguous to the creek
| named Prior to 1892 it was worked by
the late Captain ]. H. Davis with the
water of Lazy Mans creek, which only
| afforded enough water to run small
| suice boxes about two months in the
season, during which the captain made
| good wages with the limited time and
| appliances available. The company has
| constructed a five-mile aqueduct from
| the Ruby river and Manager H. L.
| Childs states that the seasons work
| this year has been satisfactory beyond
| expectation and that he is confident
| his company will adopt the dredging
| system of working next year. The
gravel on this claim is from u to 25
| feet deep and pays from the grass
| roots down. The gold is coarse anG
| is easily saved.
| Between these two locations several
| other gulches intervene, the principal
ones being Williams, Need, Sailor and
| Idaho, all of which offer splendid op-
portunities for the Introduction Of the
| new process. Most of them, however,
will require some water additional 10
the natural streams, but this can be
| easily obtained from the Ruby river.
! 1t is not likely now that the ball has
been set rolling in this direction, that
these splendid openings for making
money in placer mining will be over
| looked very long, nor that their hidden
wealth will remain great while longer
concealed.
| Now that the differences between
| rival claimants have been amicably
| compromised and adjusted to the salts
| faction of all concerned, the far-famed
Gravelly range is again looming up in
| the armament of the placer mining
world as the bright, particular star of
attraction. The claims which have been
| located there, which embrace most OF
| the ground that is desirable and near
| est available for working, are owned by
prominent Bozeman and Virginia City
| capitalists. Between these there has
| long been a bitter and uncompromisins
| feud, the rifle and shotgun argument
being more than once brought into use
| in the fiercet fight for possession. But
calmer counsels have prevailed. the
| dog-in-the-mange policy has been
abandoned, the bone of contention has
been divided, the hatchet has been bur
| led and sweet peace prevails. And
now instead of stalking around each
| other ION deadly purpose bent" the
contestants will pool their issues and
unite in the development of what is,
| without doubt, a most magnificent
property, whose bringing into active
| operation means much for the mining
| industry of Southern Montana in gem
| eral and Madison county in particular,
That the Gravelly range will become
a fin de steele producer is hardly prob
able, if possible. Before work of any
| magnitude can be, done upon it water
| must be carried to it. This it is pro-
| posed to bring from the west fork of
the Madison river. According to the
preliminary survey to do this the con-
struction of a water conduit from 25 to
90 miles in length will be required.