The Butte inter mountain., 1901-09-28

| locatorS ana owners or ground IN ina
vicinity so as soon as he acquired pos
session of the big Sandy" he presented
| one-half interest in the ground tC
| Thomcs Riser, and these two men per-
| formed the amount Of work required by
law and perfected the location. While
| Allen and Riser We're sinking the ten
foot hole or shaft on the claim which
as yet was nameless. a grizzled pros
| rector came along and upon examining
/ some of the rock which had been thrown
| upon the dump he pronounced 1t The
| finest leaking" Qeachng) ore he had
| ever seed and thus the name OF
leaking was given to the claim. While
the language in which the opinion OF
the old prospector was couched could
not be commended for the elegance or
its grammatical construction, events
have since demonstrated the entire ac-
Uuracy of the opinion which he intended
! tC express.
In the fall of 80 II. T. Kendall vis-
tied the Leaking" claim and purchased
the one-kalf interest of Thomas Riser
for Sl50 and that Of Charles Allen Tor
$500. 1t is said that the negotiations 1or
the Riser interest We're somewhat on the
electric order and that when Mr.. Ken
dali offered him the amount from when
he purchased the interest Mr.. Riser ac-
cepted with a most precip1tate sudden
ness. On the same day Mr.. Kendall pur-
chased the interest of the Knapp broth
ers in the Google Eye" or klondlke
lode as it Is now known. The Knapp In
terest was secured at a cost of $500. but
the Hopkins interest, which was not
purchased until the following spring,
enriched the original owner to the
amount of $1,000. 1t is related of Mr..
Hopkins that he, also, had at seVeral
different times endeavored to give MS
share in the Klondike to various parties
among whom Frank E. Wright, cashier
of the Bank Of Fergus county, more thah
once gently but positively. refused 10 oe-
come a gratis owner in so Valuaple !"
property. ss;,,
Immediately upon assuming possession
ot the two claims Mr.. Kendall pegah
vigorous development work on the oir
body on the Leaking ground, and during
the summer of 1900 the erection OF
cvanide plant was commenced "hicn
was completed in the fall and begun the
reduction of ores in November OF the
same year. This plant, which IS stlll
running. has a daily capacity OF 10 tons
and while it can not be CONSIDERED an
up-to-date mill in any way, much OF the
machinery being of an obsolete pattern
still since it first began crushing ore 1t
has been operated profitably and the
cold of the world has been Increased
from twelve to fifteen thousand dollars
monthly through it's operation.
The very successful operations OF the
Great Northern Mining and Develop
ment company at Gilt Edge began 20
attract much attention to the mining
districts of Fergus county during the
summer of 1900, and the large and steody
gold production of that company, which
still continues, has accomplished much
! toward inducing capital to seek Invest
ment in the several inviting mining fields
! of the county that are yet but IN their
incipient stages of development. Among
those who were drawn thither by the
success of the Great Northern company
was r. K Neill, expert and confidential
agent of the firm of Finch & Campbell,
who are among the most extensive mine
operators in the entire mining world.
This gentleman visited the Kendall prop
critics in the early part of December of
last year and negotiations looking to-
ward the purchase of the properties We're
entered into at once An option for
| bond approxmating very nearly $45O,OOO
was taken on them and a thorough sys-
| tenn of prospecting the ore body was
begun.