The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-06
ELK CITY PLACER MINES
Active Development Will Begin
in the Spring.
SOME RICH GRAVEL FOUND
An Extensive Plant Is Being Put In to
Handle II Messrs. Buffers Have
Purchased 1880 Acres of
this Land.

Butte men are interested in mines at
Elk City, Idaho, and reports from there
indicate that next summer will be de-
voted to active development of the placer
mines there A large dredging plant is
to be Installed at once and some rich
gravel will be washed. The Spokane
Chronicle speaks Of the enterprise as fol-
lows:
William H. Buffers & Bros. Of this
city have purchased the famous Red Riv-
er meadows, near Elk City, Idaho, and
are now putting In a mammoth elevator,
or chain bucket dredge, to handle the
rich placer gravel The first shipment
of machinery, consisting of 10000 pounds,
will arrive at Lewiston in few DAYS.
This machinery will be put in pace as
fast as it arrives and it is hoped to nave
everything in readiness to begin taking
the gold from the gravel early IN the
spring
THE placer ground which the Messrs
Buffers have purchased is situated at the
lower end of the lower Red River mead
ows. at the mouth of Sigel creek. The
tract is about nine miles beiow Elk City
and includes 1890 acres of land The
iseu iiNei HoWs tAIopsH tue property. Inc
ground is known 70 be rich in gold, but
heretofore little work has been done upon
1t. An effort was made a few years ago
by Driver & Calvin to work this ground
by a dredge. but their appliances were on
too small a scale and not well adapted
for the purpose The gravel prospected
we'll but when they came to clean up
they found that the current of water had
swept the gold and quicksilver all away.
Ihls failure discouraged them and the
enterprise was abandoned.
i The Buffers brothers became interest
ed in the meadows last summer and i'm
mediately opened up negotiations for their
purchase from the Red River Mining
owned them. The negotiations prospered
and the deal was closed late last fall.
"Char.es f.. Buffers and Walter E. But
ters. who have been the leaders in the
enterprise, have been on the ground all
winter, putting in d sawmill and getting
out the necessary lumber and logs for
the dredge AS soon as the machinery ar
rives the dredge will be constructed and
it Is expected to have the plant in work.
ing order by April /. The plant is guar
anteed to handle 1000 yards of gravel ev-
cry "a hours. sar
Edmund Juessen. manager of the
American Hill Hydraulic Elevator mine
at Elk City, is preparing an improved
gold saving device for use in connection
with the dredge. He has spent some time
at South Milwaukee experimenting the
construction of the machinery. w
The Bucyrus' company has built a
number of these machines for placer min
ing and several are in successful opera
ton along the Snake river in southern
Idaho where they are highly successful
in saving the exceedingly fine -four gold
along that stream; others are being OPP
Grated right along in the Boise basin;
others at Bannock City and Grasshopper
creek, Montana, and still others have a
worldwide fame through their work in
Australian and New Zealand gold fields
ldaho is showing some splendid crop
pings ana Is making strong bid for first
place IN the race for mining stampedes
ana excitements. Buffalo Hump is a
STRONG laVorlte just now. Elk CITY Sec
ond ana the seven Devils good third.
Men WHO have visited the mines of the
Hump are loud in their praises of them.
one man venturing the assertion that it
would be the greatest mining camp in the
Sam i. Silverman of Spokane has been
making arrangements for the transfer of
the Big Buffalo group of claims in Ida
no. which was recently sold to Clark
d SWeeny 1t is reported that Mr. Sill
verman has secured bonds upon a num-
Der of other Buffalo Hump properties and
is en- route to Montana to dispose of them
to the mining men of this state.
Mr. Silverman has confirmed the story
of the sale of the Big Buffalo group He
stated that a large force of men will at
once be put to work upon the PROPERTIES
by the new owners. Walter H. Hill will
be in charge of the mine under the new
ownership.
C. M. Fassett of Spokane, the assayer
upon whose report the sale was made.
said that he had made 30 ASSAYS across
16 feet of the ledge. from which he pro-
duced an average assay value of $40. This.
he said, was the most wonderful mineral
deposit he ever heard of and he believed
1t would be the greatest mining camp in
the United States.
The Big Buffalo ledge is from 70 to re-
feet wide and crops from two to six feet
above the ground for a distance of 3Oo
feet. Samples from the surface of the
ledge gave returns as fol,ows: Average
of "a feet, S34 81; average of 9 feet s45S II.
average of feet, SIZE, II