The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-06-25
NEW COPPER FIND IN ALASKA
Samuel I. Silverman Tells All About
It in Spokane.

1T looks as if Prince of Wales island
will prove to be the biggest mineral belt
that has yet been discovered" said San
l. Silverman last evening. tosa represelt-
tative Of the Spokane Review. Mr.. Sill
verman. who has lust returned from a
trip to the Alaskan island in the inter-
ests of Spokane mining men, is much
pleased with the prospects.
Il have bonded 40 claims on Copper
harbor. lying upon the west coast of the
island continued MIR. Silverman. "The
most important of them form the Melen
group of Is claims. They are owned by
the Alaska Copper company. which has
done good deal of work. There is an
ere shoot 400 feet long. averaging 20 feet
wide, that gives tremendous copper val
ues. The company last fall built wire
tramway running from the mine down
to the wharf on Copper harbor, a mile
away. About Is tons of ore were ship
ped. when the tram broke.
Since getting my bond on the prop
erty. l have arranged to ship 60 tons If
ore to the Tacoma smelter. 1t will go 30
per cent in copper. The ore is a mala-
cEite and chrvsocolla"
Mr.. Silverman brought some samples
o. the ore with him. 1t is fine silicious
copper ore and Is almost solid mineral
THE ore can be smelted into an s. per
cent copper matte, at cost not more
than 50 tom he continued. ut is mined
with the greatest ease. No powder is
needed. The stuff is so soft that itrcan
be dug out with pick and shovel. The
cost of mining, tramming and deliver
ing by steamer to Tacoma is not more
than 81 a ton.
bonded % other claims on Copper Lar-
Dor. Nearly all of them look like grass
root propositions. The general appear-
ance of the camp is much like that of
Rossland seven years ago. There isethis
difference. that the ore zone in Rossaand
vas three miles long by a mile wide.
and it looks as if mines would be found
all over it.
Copper harbOr seems to be the CEN
ter of the mining country. l have hol.
o. the available land around the harbor.
and am preparing to lay the foundations
for a mining community. The harbcr is
one of the finest in the world. and THE
biggest ships afloat can almost lay
alongshore and tie to tree.
Il have every confidence that fine isl
and will make a great camp. Besides
the ore. which is there in unexampled
quantities, there is plenty of timber for
mining purposes. Fuel is very cheap.
Coal from Vancouver island is delivered
fol IS ton. and coke for 49,
THE climate is far from rigorous. The
island is only 600 miles from Seattle
and it's weather is Influenced most IA
vorably by the Jaoan current. There
is never any ice in the harbor. The
climate is much the same as that of
Vancouver.
1T looks as if the rush to the isl.
and had already commenced. There ar
about $50 miners at work, and more are
steadily being employed. Patrick Clark
is working a crew of men on Twelve
Mile arm. James Freeburn, formerly
with the War Eagle and the lie Roi a
Rossland. is now examining the islanif.
D. j. Mcdonald, expert for Hon. C. H.
Macintosh. will leave in few days
to inspect some properties. S. Lichten-
stadter, formerly of Spokane, is working
the Mt. Andrew group. Henry R~a+noh-
en- one of the famous experts with the
exploration company of London. is now
on the ground. Sydney Norman of Spo-
kane expects to leave for the island in
a few days. B. c. Kingsbury and B. +.
Barinds, who are associated with Pat
rick Clark. will leave for the camp to-
night. I shall sail Sunday for the isl
and"