Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1900-09-05
YOGO SAPPHIRE MINfS.
Output OF This Year Will Far Exceed That OF
Any Previous Season.
IGreat Fnlls Trihnne.l

Output OF This Year Will Far Exceed That OF
Any Previous Season.
IGreat Falls Tribune.l
The New Syndicate Sapphire Mines
corporation, OF which George A.
Wells, OF this city, Is one OF the prin-
cipal stockholders, is having a very
successful season In the operation of
its mines near Yogo. The company
was able to begin mining about the
middle Of April, fully a month earlier
than usual, and can continue for at
least six weeks more, as the mines
may be worked until the water
freezes.
Last year the company made its
first shipment June 20, while this year
the first shipment was made May 81.
The output for this will be
very large. and some particularly fine
stones have been secured. Thelargest
stone yet found at the mines was
found early this year, II weighing 10
carats.
All the stones are shipped from
Great Falls to London, where many
OF them are cut, but about half OF
them r brought back To the United
States, Tiffany and other American
dealers buying them from the firm to
which the mining company sells. The
duty on the cut gems is only 10 per
cent.
The demand for the Yogo sapphires
Is constantly increasing and the sup
ply is not sufficient tosatlsiy the pub-
lie.
The company now has II men Mt
work at the mines, and the number
OF employees In the mining seaso al
ways ranges between 81 and 80.
The sapphires are found scattered
all along the lead and, rs in any kind
OF mining, there Is much dead work,
as well as frequent rich strikes. Last
month, for instance, five blocks OF
ground were worked; from one, 10, 200
carats were extracted, while from an-
other OF equal dimensions only "A
carats were taken: and the cost of
working the block from which the
10000 carats were taken was only
about one-tenth the cost of working
the other four blocks, from which
5000 carats were secured.
The sapphires are found in a per-
pendicular lead OF dry clay, with wall
rock on either side, and as this clayey
formation is mined it Is thoroughly
washed and the gems extracted and
picked over. They are OF all sizes and
Of various degrees OF excellence, hut
the amethystine gems continue very
rare. So far the company has work
ed down only about 30 or GO feet, but
prospecting has been done to II depth
three times as great and there are
%sapphires all the way down. The
deeper down they go the harder the
formation becomes, requiring greater
exposure to cause disintegration. All
dirt that is worked over this year
will be exposed through the late fall
and winter to the action OF the ele-
ments, causing disintegration, and
next year it will he again washed
AID there may be extracted from 1t
us many gems As were found this
year.
The company secures its water from
a point II miles distant from the
mines, conveying it by bitches and
fumes. The supply OF water has
been rather small this season, but
work has not been stopped, and re-
Gently the flow has increased and
work will be pushed until the water
freezes.
Through the summer many gems
are thrown aside az "culls," but men
are left at the mines through the win
ter and they devote their spare time
to sorting over the culls. There
would be no danger In leaving the
mines unguarded through the winter.
for nature protects them. After the
water freezes no one can extract any
OF the gems from their hard, clayey
bed.
There is no Indication that the
mines are playing out; or the con-
trary, they seem to be getting richer;
but after all the sapphires shall have
been extracted the mines will still be
OF immense value. because OF the enor-
nous deposits OF corundum, used in
the making Of emery wheels, etc.
This mineral Is found in the mining
FOR the sapphires, and, like them, II