Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-29
MILL TO SAVE
GARNET COLD
Engineering & Mining Journal
Writes Up the Plant.
FEATURES OF DISTRICT
Mill at Bearm0uth Makes the Working
Of Low Grade Ores Very
Profitable.

In a write-up of the Montana & Den
yer Reduction Co.'s mill at Bearmouth,
Mont. Fred D. Smith has the following
article relative to Garnet mines in the
current issue of the Engineering & Min
ing Journal:
With the start of this mill on January
LIST, a new era was marked in MOntana's
mining industry, particularly in the mill
ing methods. The conditions surround
ing organization of this mpa and
the establishment of this plant were in
nOwise novel in the west, though this
company was the first to meet them in
Montana. The whole mining and milling
! industry of Montana was dependent upon
one or two plans of procedure when new
camps or mines were started. Either hand
sorting of the ore, and shipment to the
smelters at Butte or Helena, or operation
of a stamp MILL If the ore were free-milling
gold ore, or of a cOncentrator if not, with
subsequent shipment of concentrates to
the smelters. Both methods were retard-
ing in their effect, either being wasteful
in the one case or excessively expensive
in the other. The opening of low-grade
mines was prevented, and as was the case
in the district tributary to this mill, the
low grades of ore were left in the mine
as filling when higher grades We're taken
out. The state of Colorado a long
since met these conditions with the Gus
tom mills, which followed the develop
ment of gold mines to such an extent that
miners of small capital were able to open
their mines easily without awaiting large
sums of money for mills. The leading
position of Colorado as a gold producing
state is due to the custom mills more than
to n other one agency.
The Garnet and Coloma mining dis
tricts are excellent examples of the class
of camps that are found throughout Mon
tana. The conditions in these camps may
be taken as fairly average of a dozen or
more within the borders of the state.
In Garnet the veins carry gold to the
value of SIS to $50 per ton, as an average
of the whole vein, with occasional pock-
cts and streaks of higher grades. With
no facilities for milling the ore, the min
ers were Obliged to resort to two meth
DDS; either to mine for the smaller pOck-
cts n streaks of first-class ore, reject
ing the ore of less than $25 in value by
leaving 1t under ground, or hand sorting
of all. Both methods We're expensive, as
the cost of mining small veins is greater
than that of large veins: and the labor of
sorting and sacking added at least So to
the expense per ton. A summary of these
expenses. which include mining, sorting,
sacking, wagon haul to railroad at Bear
mouth. freight and smelter charges,
shows that the ore must carry at least 1923
per ton, as shipped, to pay expenses. I'm
der such retarding circumstances few of
the mines became more than prospects.
The Nancy Hanks mine, owned by S,
Richie, is said to have produced over
100000 in gold for it's owner, but no 9TH
ers approached this figure. The Sham
rock has been a shipper for some time, as
have also the Anderson and Magone prop
critics. One mill has been constructed / in
the Garnet district for treating the ores
OF the district, but more especially for
treatment of the ore from the mines of
of the owner, Mr.. Mussigbrod, formerly
Mussigbrod & Mitchell. The mill could
not properly be classed as a strictly Gus
tom mill since it's regular practice was
not to buy ores but to treat the same for
the owners at a certain charge per day
for the mill S75) with a return Of a GER
tain percentage of the gold extracted.
The method of milling, stamp and con-
centration of tailings, with the disadvan-
tageous basis of charges, did but little to
assist he development of the low-grade
properties. In the Coloma District, which
adjoins the Garnet District on the north
west. the Mammoth Mining
milled it's own ores by stamps, Whitley
COMMENTATORS n canva blankets until
the closing up of the property, due to H.
nancial troubles. This mill never treated
custom ores to my extent, and all pros
poets in that district awaited develop
ment of the Mammoth for their informa-
ton of their w values.
1t is believed that the conditions recited
above, for these districts are to be found
in a great many other districts in Mon
tana, and it is believed that in this res
pect Montana is far behind Colorado.
Mr.. A. b. Browne, who was general
manager for the Mammoth at
the time OF its shutdown, realized the
conditions of these two districts and saw,
the needs and advantages of a custom
mill to treat the ores of this region. A
mill located at the foot of the hills on
which the mines are located would draw
ores from a circle of 10 to Is miles radius.
IN the spring of 1889 he organized the
Montana & Denver Reduction company
in Boston, where the controlling stock
was placed. Mr.. VIM. H. Wood of CAM
bridge, Mass, became president, MI. Stu
art c. Miller of Cambridge the treasurer.
Mr.. Jno. l.. Sloane of M~issoula, Mont.
the secretary, and Mr.. Browne the gener-
al manager. The plan of organization,
as agreed upon. is to act as millmen and
purchasers of ore, and, at present. to
operate no mines, depending upon the
districts adjoining to furnish the ores.
In order to encourage development and
PRODUCTION, the highest possible prices
are paid. A high degree of extraction
was to be made. requiring the best metal
lurgical skill in milling, and all of the ia.
cilities furnished by the latest improved
machinery n methods. BY extended
testing it was determined that the safest
method OF operation was plate amalga-
nation. concentration on Wilheys, and
c%yaniding of the tailings.
The site selected for the mill was at
the point of union Of Deep Gulch with
Bear Gulch, near the bic placer camp of
Beartown. At this point the mill is easy
FrnvnA H. or. -