The Butte inter mountain., 1902-11-20
ENGINEERS REPORT
ON WEST FISHER
ROURkE BELIEVES THAT THE MlCHl-
GAN COMPANY HAVE GOOD PROP
ERTY IN FLATHEAD COUNTY.

The Mining Gazette OF iioughton, Mich
igan. publishes in full the report of Min
ing Engineer Jerry Rourke upon the
mines ON West Fisher, in Flat.ead county.
The report was made to the board OF
directors Of the Portage Lake and Calu-
met Development company
Mr. Rourke, after making all allowance
probable for bad luck and natural and un
avodable mistakes. makes the conserva-
tive estimate that the net profit TO the
company would be So per ton.
1t is claimed that Mr.. Rourke's cxamin-
alton was very thorough, and IT is also
said that the development work will be
prosecuted with vgor. he report VIII
be Of interest to many mining men III
Montana. 1t follows:
Report Of Mr. Rourke.
Gentlemen: | examined the Bach
elor" group OF mines on October 10 and
II. This group is situated in the Cabi-
net mountains, near the junction OF West
Fisher creek, and Bramlet creek, and lies
about 20 miles south of Libby, a small
town on the main line Of the Great North.
ern railway. from which it is reached by
fair wagon road. The group consists OF
the following claims: "Racneor No :.
"Goldie Jacket" Boise Fraction
"Rand" and Tip Top" all Of which are
contiguous with the exception OF the
Rand" which was located for mill site
purposes and is situated on West Fisher
creek 900 feet east OF the bachelor.
The claims cover the top OF tho mountain
and portion OF the north and south
slopes which lie between West Fisher and
Bremlet creeks. This mountain Is quite
steep. and affords an excellent site for
tram line. from mine to mill.
The mountain consists entirely Of slate.
The slate is generally altered and min
eralized near the vein and carries CON
siderable values in gold. The vein itself
consists OF quartz, carrying iron pyritcs
more or less oxydized. In some places the
pyrites have been oxydizcd and carried
away. leaving free gold exposed in the
honey combs thus formed. It is possible
that the quartz will not show this oNydiz-
alton when developed farther into the
mountain.
Claims Partially Developed.
The development work consists OF four
tunnels representing AS feet Of work
all OF which are on the Bachelor No =
claim. so that my examination was prin-
cipally confined TO this claim. The tun'
ne1s are designated as 10. l. No. :. No. 3,
and No. o. this being the order in which
they arc run No. tunnel is 20 feet
long. The mouth o. TINS tunnel shows
about feet Of quartz. I took samples
at the breast from which | obtained the
following results: Six inches OF quartz
on hanging wall, carried $40 in gold,
and feet OF dccomposed slate, mixed
with quartz, on foot wall carried $6.4o in
gold. These samples were, OF course,
taken across the vein at the same point
and represent 2H feet OF ore having an
average value Of SOTO.
No. 4 tunnel is 54 feet long. took
samples here at three points, on the VEN,
IS feet apart. The first sample rs feet
from the mouth Of tunnel where the vein
Is feet, Q incAes in width. gives value
of $i1.2o in gold 80 feet from mouth OF
tunnel the vein shows width Of 3 feet, 10
inches, and an average value IN gold Of
$40. At the breast Of the tunnel is
shown width Of vein feet, ;
inches, and an average value in gold Of
feet and look for the quartz itself 10
improve in value as the tunnel IS eN-
tended, as the workings and outcrop on
both sides are higher grade than here.
An important Tunnel.
No. o tunnel was driven by the Ryan
people and owing to its length, is by lar
the most important tunnel on the property.
This tunnel is 232 feet long and was run
under the vein. At 90 feet from the mouth
an uprasc showed the vein to be four feet
in width This sample showed value of
$3.50 in gold. Another sample taken at
the same place showed value OF $I4 in
gold. Sample No. 2 was taken from top
of raise No. and the value in gold was
found by assay to be $i4; sample No. ~
taken in new raise No. :, assayed $2S.Sc
in gold; sample No. 10 assayed $50 il
gold sample No. FL shows two feet five
inches quartz and assayed $40 in gold
These assays show an average value o.
$i4.3o in gold and an average width OF
vein in No. tunnel Of - inches. | alsc
took samples from the outcrop shown OF
the map between No, and No. g. TIL,
vein at this point was 10 inches wide anC
assays $I44o. Also another sample iron
the outcrop between Bachelor No. an'
the "Goldic," one foot of quartz exposed
which assayed $24 in gold,
1t will be seen from the conditions il
the workings and outcrops that the vein
wherever exposed, while not large, i
strong and continuous and has nevc
pinched out or lost its value in gold i
fact, for a gold-bearing vein ii would b
considered very uniform both in thicknes
and value
Timber and Water Abundant.
There is an abundance OF timber on tn
claims for all mining purposes and in tn
immediate vicinity there is some of III
finest timber lands in the United State
There is also an abundant supply of watt
in West Fisher creek for all milling pu
poses The American Kootenai compan
whose mill is situated on West FISH
creek, about 1000 feet above the "Rant
claim, is using the water from Mill cree
a branch Of the West Fisher This wat
can be appropriated at point sever
thousand feet up the creek from the IN