Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-05-18
Richer Than Eyer.

the Clara Belle mine near Oreyille, the
Pioneer-Times of the 14th says: The
farther you go the "worse" il Is and
more ofit, is likewise proving true in
the Clara Belle mine, near Hill City.
In following the ore shoot of quartz the
richest place yet was discovered few
days ago, and the first 200 pounds of ore
put through the Tremain mill produced
81 600 of gold bullion. or at the rate of
$4,000 to the ton. And right here is
an opportune illustration OF fact that
does not seem as yet to be fully under
stood by many mining investors in the
Black Hills; that even If rich pay
shoot or pocket in vein has been work
ed out to lean or barren ore, it is only a
question Of distance in drifting or sink
ing on that same vein in order TO come
TO other shoots or pockets just as rich or
richer than the one discovered on top.
This fact is well understood in the older
mining districts of California and Colo
RADIO, and especially in the Cripple Creek
district, drifts are run thousands of feet
through lean ore barren ore to find other
rich shoots in the vein, as rich as those
already encountered. And this is par
ticulary true in the case of free milling,
vertical Hssure veins, such as all those
of the southern Hills aud some parts Of
the northern Hills.
The Clara Belle vein might be liken-
ed to huge mans hand sdgewise down
in the ground, with the thumb raised
80 that the point Of 1t came to the sur
face and the nail got mashed off and
slid down hill little way. Old Bill
Jewett and George Kimble came along
nearly twenty years ago, discovered the
nail, fairly yellow all over with gold
Jewels, and located the st. Elmo. Bob
Wood passed by one day from Custer
and saw she fabulous wealth. This is
said to have been the first time Bob
went crazy. The owners borrowed
$4,000 and put up little 250 pound
stamp mill, paid back the loan in less
than q week, took out several more
thousands, and then sold to the st. Elmo
Mining and Milling company. The
nail was soon consumed and the end Of
the thumb not found. All the stock
holders got discouraged but Jim Nc
Donald, He persisted, finally caught
hold of the thumb, followed it 70 feet
and came to shoot fifteen feet wide Of
free milling quartz. going $25 gold per
ton. At this point the late Captain
Marsh OF Omaha bonded the mine, put
up ten stamp mill and worked the
thumb beyond the first JOINT to the end
line OF their claim, which is also the
northerly end line Of the Clara Belle
claim, which was located by Frank He
bert in the beginning, when the st.
Elmo was first discovered. The incline
distance down the thumb, worked by
Captain Marsh, was about 400 feet. Mr..
Hebert sunk shaft about fifty feet from
the end line, landed on the thumb and
proceeded downward. He had not gone
far when he came to the knuckle joint
of the thumb and its junction with the
hand, the fingers part of which seems to
extend back at a lower depth under the
St. Elmo ground, with the rest of the
hand. arm and body on the Clara Belle
ground. II is right at the knuckle joint
junction of the thumb and hand that
Mr.. Hebert is now taking out richer free
gold ore than was eyer found on the sur
face.
The owner of the Clara Belle always
contended that the St. Elmo shoot ex.
tended to his ground, and that it was
only matter of distance on the vein
till there would be other as rich shoots
as the one already found. This is Of
course we'll known characteristic Of
veins ana pay shoots, but it does not
seem to have been fully understood, or
at least not followed by the "tenderfeet"
investors who have in the past taken
hold of the rich sur face strikes in the
Hill City district.
All this history mas been repeated as
an illustration TO present and future in
vestors Of the successes that may be ex
pected to follow as soon as they learn
what mining is and how to mine, and
60 after pay shoots. through lean and
barren, as they do in Colorado and Cali
fornia.