The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-25
OLD ALDER IN EVIDENCE
That Famous Camp Will Keep
Right On Doing Business.
MODERN WORK IN PLACERS
Montana's Far-Famed Gulch Still Kept
Active-New Ways for Get
ting Out the
Gold


Alder Gulch is famed the world over
as having been the richest gold placer
ever discovered. 1t is also noted as
| having made more rich or at all events
well-to-do men than had ever before
made their fortunes within the same
period of time from a territory of the
same extent Whether the lucky min
ers succeeded in keeping their suddenly
| acquired wealth is another matter. and
| has no bearing upon the character and
value of the gulch. The great placer
is furthermore distinguished as having
to all intents and purposes been the
foundation of first the territory and
then the state of Montana, as we'll as
the seat of its first capital 1t was the
gold of Alder Gulch that brought with
in its confines the population without
which neither a territorial nor state
government can be adequately sus-
tanned.
The total output of that gold has
been estimated all the way from $780,
OO0O00 up to 800 900 900, from $50 600
600 to 100000 900 being the figures gem
orally accepted as approximately COR
rect. 1t is scarcely necessary to inform
a Montana reader that Alder Gulch has
| long since passed its heyday, and that
it is now not infrequently spoken of as
| an exhausted placer. This, however,
| is putting it too strongly, for it is cx-
| hausted only by comparison with its
| former marvellous richness. There are
still a very considerable number of men
! living comfortably upon the proceeds
| Of these aurferOus sands, and num-
| Der of companies at work there, all of
whom have faith in the old camp-a
| faith based, it is believed, upon fair re-
| turns to date and promise of better
| things in the future.
| From a gentleman we'll informed as
! to conditions there it is learned that
| there are six companies or concerns,
| actively engaged in mining. These are
| the Alder Gulch Mining company; l..
| A. Feuner; Fehring, Garrison e. Co:
| The German Bar Mining company; l..
! Conrey Placer Mining company and
! the Chicago Mining and Development
| company. The company last named is
the lessee of the Conrey company. Be
| ginning in the upper stretch of the
! gulch, these operators extend down it
| in the order named.
! The first, the Alder Gulch company,
is mining by the usual placer method
| of reservoiring and ground sluicing
| The Feuner grounds are worked by
shoveling the gravel into cars, hosting
| it up and washing in machine actu-
| ated by water power Fehring, Garri-
| son & Co are ground sluicing.
| The German Bar claim is meChani-
| cally operated. A self-excavating ca
| BILE way is used, the cable having a 400
foot span. The power is located on a
| car which moves on circular track
| around a central tower. This tower
! forms the head of a flume into which
| the gravel is dumped from the buckets
| of the galloway. Here it is washed
with water carried in a pipe from a
point in the ditch up the gulch sufti-
| GENTLY elevated to give the required
fall. The head of the flume is about
80 feet above bedrock, thus affording
an ample dump for the, waste. The
tower referred to is located in the pit
| eXcaVated the year before so that each
years tailings dump into the previous
| years excavation. This galloway is
! said to be absolutely new in placer
| mining. and altogether novel in practi-
| cal mechanics. 1t is now in the third
year of it's use at this claim and it is
! said to be working well.
| The Conrey company has three mills
| of claim extending from about one mile
| above the mouth of the canyon ito two
miles below This property is said to
| be remarka BILE for the width of the
gravel that carries pay. The company
now has a dredge capable of working
| 1000 cubic yards of gravel per day
| practically complete, and it will be put
| into operation early in August. Just
below the Conrey company,the Chicago
! company is operating a dredge removed
! from Bannock to that point. This
dredge was started in June.
1t is said by those who profess
a familiarity with it, that the
| new machinery now IN use is
| a complete evolution in placer
mining. That it bids fair to convert
many abandoned placers into scenes of
| activity, well-paid industry. and to add
| very materially to the worlds output
of gold. One great point claimed for
it is that it in a large measure obviates
| the disadvantage Of scant water sup
| ply, which, as every old miner knows,
! is the chief obstacle to placer mining
| in many locations.
1t is not claimed for this machinery
| that it in any manner dispenses with
| the use of water. but that it in effect
saves the water after it has been used
and makes it available for further OPP
erations. If these claims are well
| founded it means much to Montana,
| and, for that matter, to the whole
world, to those engaged in other call
ings as we'll as to the gold miners them
! selves.