The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-07-29
MONTANA As A GolD.pRooUcIxG STATE.

MONTANA As A GOlD-PRODUCING STATE.
Despite the passing of the years and
the development of the wonderful copper
riches of the state, Montana is never
without a great gold mine which serves
to remind the nation that gold mining
is not on the wane. For many years, be
ginning about 1882, the Drum Lummon
of Marysville was the great yellow
metal producer. Hon. Thomas Crus>,
then known as Tommy" Cruise had
opened the mine single handed. He ran
a tunnel hundreds Of feet into hard rock
with single-handed drill. Alternately he
worked forwages and worked for himself.
He bought powder and fuse on credit,
and many a time was short of flour and
bacon; but he pushed the tunnel for
ward, and when his reward came ana
the Englishmen bought the mine, there
seemed to be no limit to it's productive
ness. For nearly twenty prosperous years
the Drum Lummon was Montana's great
gold producer. Under the management
of such men as r. T. Bayliss. Henry
Bratnober, George H. Robinson and
Mr.. Burrell the mine added greatly to
the fame Of the Treasure state
Three years ago, when the old mine
began to weaken, people wondered how
Montana would retain it's place among
the gold producing states Of the Union
without the Drum Lummon output Of
several millions yearly. About that
time Hon. Joseph Clark happened over
to Whitehall on prospecting trip. Near
there he met the owners Of the May
flower and arranged to bond the min=
for $150,O00 on behalf of himself and his
brother, w. A. Clark. AS soon as the
papers We're signed j. X. Clark took out
the $150,O00 in few days. passed it over
to the owners of the property and went
on sinking. That was in 1898. Since
then the Mayflower has been a wonder.
1t handsomely maintained the gold pro-
ducing record of the state, yielded from
the smallest area the richest gold ore
ever discovered in the state, paid nearly
two million dollars in dividends, and en-
abled Senator Clark to continue the
publication of the Miners Sunday sup
plement.
All good things come to an end, how
ever, and last year people again began
to apprehend that Montana would have
to take a back seat among the gold pro-
ducing states. But not so. Montana's
lucky star was still high in the heavens
Just about the time Joe Clark concluded
hp din lac
Mayflower rumors began to circula te
concerning the Watseka mine, in the
Rochester district. That property had
been gophered near the surface for
thirty years, but in all that time no one
seemed to have the brains or money or
courage to go below the water level to
test the character and value of the ore
The year before last A. w. McCune Of
Salt Lake, who had the brains, the money
and the courage required, associat ed
himself with F. E. Sergeant and Carl
Hand. two we'll known citizens of the
state, and began to explore the Watseka
This year, just as the Mayflower is re-
ttirlng from:.the field, the Watseka Is
pressing to the front. Below the water
line the ore was found in great richness
and abundance. An abandoned mill
near by was bought, new machinery in
stalled and it's capacity enlarged. It is
now busy on Watseka ore assaying from
$40 to 500 in gold, coming from DEPTHS
where every indication of permanencc
and value is present. One hundred men
are employed. The percentage of savings
Is high. The gold product is large ana
promises to rival, if not exceed, thai
of the Drum Lummon or the Mayflower.
For the next decade at least, perhars
for two, the position of Montana anon,
the gold producing states is safe. 1t
now ranks fourth on the list The Wat
scka and other gold mines now under
development may advance it to third
place-Colorado being first and California
second. The mines are here, and if the
anarchist influence now operating in
this state does not frighten away cap,
ital and if the courts do not close down
the mines and deny to law abiding citi-
Gems the commonest and plainest rights
OF ownership and control Montana may
in few years double it's gold output
its labor pay-rolls and all auxiliary en-.
terprises.
t. &l@ or,1,