Daily inter mountain., 1900-12-21

preceding year. Wool growers have
consigned more wool to commission
houses and under their own order than
ever before in the history of the county.
This was due to the unsatisfactory Price
offered by wool buyers last WOOL season.
One of the largest lamb crops in the
history of the county was raised, and the
average wool per head is larger than
ever before, due to The favorable weather
conditions last spring. The general
average has increased fully one pound
per head during the last four OF i've
years. The wool outlook for the county
was never better.
MUCH COAL IN SIGHT.
Coal is going to be one of the largest
outputs of Fergus county in the near
future. 1t is a good quality of bitunl-
ilous. and ranks high for steam and
heating purposes. There are almost in
Vulnerable outcroppinSs in the Judith
mountains. The mines that are now be-
ing worked are the Cliff mre. near Gilt
edge: the Mcdonald Greek mines, owned
by the LewiStcwn Fuel Co; the Armell
Creek mines owned by James and Will
lam and Andrew Fergus. and David
14ilger: and the Sage Creek mines. This
coal is now hauled to the towns and mills
Of the county by eight and ten-hJrse
teams, and on this account the supply is
at present confined entirely TO home con-
sumption. The building of a railroad
into Lewistown and through the county.
all event certainly not more than year
/ or two in the future, will be the fore
runner OF an immense development of
the coal mining industry in Fergus
county for the dusky diamonds are here
il. great quantities.
MAGNIFICENT FUTURE OF GOLD
MINING.
The most conservative Judgment in the
county considers it highly probable that
within the next five or six years Fergus
county will be the greatest gold-produc-
ing section in Montana. Never within
its history has the county seen as great
activity in mining as within the last two
years. This is shown not only in davel-
opment work done on ore bodies but in
the actual erection and equipment Of
mills. some half dozen being in steady
and profitable operation. In addition to
this a party of eastern capitalists. un-
der the leadership of A. s. Wright,
prominent mining factor of the county,
is now looking over the mining area
with a view to the investment of a large
amount of money in mines and mills The
visitors are from Chicago, Cincinnati
and New York.
The ore being worked is mostly so
called cyanide, though rich free milling
ore is being masticated by the Spotted
Horse and Maginnis mills. The ore
bodies SO far discovered are in the Ju
dith and Moccasin mountains situate
near the center of the county. Your COR
respondent recently made an extensive
trip of inspection through the mining
region. and it must be apparent even to
a novice that the making Of q rich min
ing section is there. For years pioneers
have dreamed of a great mining future
for the county. The waking reality. if
not already here, has reached the dawn.
Cold only is now being produced, but
some excellent copper leads, which the
| owner says are not for sale, have been
! opened up in the Judiths. Great Falls
| capital is interested in the copper pros
poets. Their original locator was Golden
Jack Lee. Helena capital is reported to
| be also interested in copper claims in the
same region. The copper claims are as
yet only prospects, but the leads are said
to be very promising. Considerable work
will be done on them this season.
The gold mines in operation are the
we'll known Spotted Horse. out of which
P w. Meadow. now in Florida for his
health, has made two fortunes, and nov
bonded to A. S. Wright & Co.; the Ma
ginnis bonded to the same parties; the
New Year mine and mills, owned by thu
New Year Gold Mining Co.; the Kendall
mill in the North Moccasns, owned b.
f T. Kendall the Giltedge mill. owne,
by the Great Northern Mining and De
Velopment Co: and the Whisky Gulcl
mill, now in process of construction nea
Giltedge, and owned by A. S. Wriyh
4 Co.
The Great Northern Mining & Devel
opment Co. has pay ore in sight that vii
not be worked for ten years. The ore i
mostly a decomposed quartz and
worked by the cyanide process. E. w
King formerly of Great Falls, is super
intendent and part owner, and has mad
, the mill and mines the success that the
1 | are. The tunnels and shafts and stope
in these mines are among the most ex
S tensive in the state and uncover and lea
g to immense ore bodies. Superintendent
King comes into LewistOwn every Wee
a or the days loaded with gold bricks fC
1 | deposit with a local bank or shipmer
= east. And, by the way, it is not an ur
: common sight to see a stack of gold ban
f | from surrounding mills, neatly WfaQpG
and awaiting shipment in the Lewiston
n | pOStofiice. L. G. Phelps, of Great Fail
t had an interest in this property and st:
d holds a large interest in it. A larg
stone assay office, complete in every +,
spect, has recently been completed. TT
Great Northern Mining & Developmel
: Co. property handles 300 tons of ore p'
! day and employs more than 100 men. TT
y boarding house at the mill, which
p about one and one-half miles from, b.
!. iE sight of Giltedge, is leased.
J. To William E. Wilson, Of Maiden,
> due the most of the credit for the pre-
u ent and prospective mineral developme
l, of this section. He arrived in Maiden
n the spring of 1882 and after IS years
); hard work as a prospectpr has made
l, financial success of it for himself, al