The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-07
CAME OVER THE RANGE
Two Tired and Footsore Big
Hole Prospectors.
WERE LOST IN THE DARK
A Day and Half in the Snow Without
Bite to Eat-An Old French
man Proved to Be Their
Salvation.

Two as tired and footsore individuals
as one would care to sympathize with
boarded the B., A. & P. at Silver Bow
yesterday and came to Butte. They had
just come over the range from a point
on the Big Hole about 20 miles from
Silver Bow, where they located a
couple of gold-copper leads on New
Years day. They carried a few speci-
mems Of the ore with them, which to
the average observer looked like ordi-
nary porphyry after it had been boiled
in a mixture of red ink and Butte
smoke. Still, the prospectors say it con-
tains about $40 in gold and 20 per cent.
copper The ore specimens, however,
are trifles and the manner in which the
leads were located only commonplace
when account is taken of their expert
ences in getting out of the country
where they hope their fortune lies
awaiting their pleasure.
The men gave their names as Medell
and Sisley and say that they went into
the district by way of Divide on the
day before New Years. They rode to
Woodhauler's camp on wood wagon
and took supper with the kind old man.
After supper they walked up the creek,
intending to post their notices of loca-
ton on some ground which had come
under their eyes last fall, after which
they would return to the cabin and
spend the night with the woodman, who
had already assured them of welcome.
They had not well marked their trail on
the previous visit and consequently it
was long after midnight before they
reached the old abandoned shaft. No
one had preceded them and all they
had to do for the present was post their
notices and get out Of there. This they
did, but in getting out a light snowfall
and accompanying wind removed all
traces of their ingoing tracks. 1t was
dark and quite cold, but not cold
enough to depress the tired mems spr-
its, and they trudged along, but in
stead of reaching the good Samartan's
cabin they got into a wooded basin and
might as well have been in darkest
Africa for all the comfort there was to
be had out of the situation.
Sisley had had the valuable fore
thought to take along some matches,
and he built a huge bonfire and by it
the men extracted all the fun there is
usually to be had in similar cases. In
this way the men put in the remaining
hours of the night, and when daylight
came the only encouragement that was
with it was the sight of a high, bald
mountain apparently near by. They
started out to ascend it in the hopes of
regaining their bearings.
They were lost sure enough. Hunger
now told on the wanderers and unless
they could find something to eat pretty
soon they feared the consequences. They
climbed the hill to a height sufficient
to give them commanding view of the
surrounding country, but it was an UNI
inviting sight. There was no smoke
to be seen, no signs of life. 1t was
about noon when the men struck off in
what they supposed was the direction
of Butte. They walked until nearly
dark, when they found sled tracks. The
horses tracks led them to a cabin, and
in this cabin they stayed all night with
man who could not talk a line of
English. He was an old Frenchman,
evidently living alone. He took in the
situation, Christian-like, and bestowed
blessings upon the men in the shape of
salt pork and sourdough bread, with
plenty of coffee to boot The men tried
to explain to him how they got there,
but II he understood them he couldn't
make them understand that he under
stood them. He divided his bedding and
made it comfortable for them They
told him that they wanted to get to
Butte and seemed to make him UNDER
stand that much by signs and otherwise
The next morning they left over a
trail designed by the old mans finger
as he waved it zigzag fashion, as if
laying out a detour in blank space.
They reached a cabin few miles out
OF Buxton, on the Short Line and re-
manned there until yesterday morning,
Sisley having sprained his ankle just
before reaching the cabin. The man
was delighted to have the prospectors
for companions for few days, and
together they passed the time in card
playing and smoking. The prospectors
will return to the Big Hole as soon as
they can complete the rather extensive
outfit which they propose to take with
them. They are recent arrivals in
Butte from Helena