Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-10
MINING IN THE BLACK HILLS
Hidden Fortune Adds to Its interests
Near Lead.
MnllOS-DoLLM DEAL At RAGGED TOP
Custer Peak spends Plenty of Money
in Development Queen nee
opens Up Substantial
Property.

10 henry fFaWley OF DeadWood ASO,OOO 1or
a three-fourths interests In the Iowa and
Brunette mining claims. situated on the
hill Just north Of Lead. The claims are in
the large group on which the Hidden For
tune company took a bond last February. Il
was a cash transaction and practically pays
for all the ground included in the original
bond. Mr.. Frawley is an attorney at Dead
wood and has owned the Iowa and Brunette
for a great many years. The claims lie
near the Hidden Fortune No. 2. which
formerly belonged TO Otto p. TIL. Grantz.
and was sold by him to the company which
was named after It.
The Hidden Fortune company is still add
ing to its possessions near Lead. The tract
originally bonded, consisting Of about 400
acres, is to the north and northwest of the
Lead townsite. Within the last few weeks
the company has been bonding property
south of Lead, running up to the ground
under bond to the Belt Development COM
pany. 1t takes in property as far south as
Grizzly gulch and the divide between Orig
ely gulch and yellow creek, including the
Perth property, which was quito promi-
nent fifteen or twenty years ago by reason
Of the successful operation Of a stampmlll
upon 1t. The bonding of this property
brings the acreage of the Hidden Fortune
company several hundred higher than 1t
was originally. The company is paying good
prices for this ground, and II is a decided
benefit, as many OF the owners have held
the claims all the way from fifteen to twen>
ty-five years and received little OF nothing
from them during that time.
Million Dollar Deal.
A million dollar mining deal is pending
in which the property of the Spearhsh Gold
Mining and Reduction company and the
Deadwood Standard Gold Mining company
are involved, in addition to the Potsdam
group Of claims, all lying contiguous and
situated at Ragged Top. A Boston syndl-
cate is after the ground and examinations
have been under way for several weeks. W.
d. Parker is one Of the experts who has
been working on the property, and c. w.
Merrill, chemist for the Homestske CON-
pany, has Just completed a thorough inves-
t~igation< 1t is asserted that favorable re.
ports have been made and that on these re-
ports the deal will undoubtedly be closed.
The Spearfsh and Deadwood- STANDARD COM
panies are owned by Colorado capitalists
principally and both have cyanide plants,
EACH Of 200-ton capacity. The Potsdam
group of claims is owned by w. l. Nc
Baughlin, d. A. Mcpherson and others OF
Deadwood. The Boston syndicate intends
to make Of it an enormous cyaniding prop
o~sition.
The Custer Peak Mining company, which
owns a tract OF several hundred acres on
Box Elder creek in the southern part of
Lawrence county, is laying out a large sum
Of money in development. A number OF
strong lodges cross the ground and the
company has men at work in three places.
The ore is a quartz, mixed with a great
deal Of tale and carrying free gold with a
small percentage Of iron in which gold
values are found. The company is prepared
to build a mill for the treatment of it's ore
as soon as the ore in sight will warrant II.
1t is likely that the ore will be treated by
a~malgamation, with an after-treatment or
cyanide.
Queen Bee's substantial Prospects.
In the same vicinity the Queen Bee Min
ing company has lately been revealing some
excellent ore, f~ree-milling in character.
The company is a strong one and is opening
up the property In a substantial manner. A
shaft is being pun down on a we'll defined
ledge Of ~free-milling ore in the srchaean
states, and as in a number Of other well
known instances in this part of. the Black
Hills, the ore body is steadily increasing in
size with depth. That has been the expert
ence, notably at the Uncle Sam mine, be-
longing to the Glover Leaf Gold Mining
company. near which the Queen Bee is stu
ated.
The Castle Creek Gold Mining company
Is taking out ore in a winEe that It has
been working on for several weeks. The
Wine has been sunk from the floor Of the
old development tunnel on a assure. The
ore is free milling and Of excellent grade,
assaying from s. to IS a ton. II is being
piled up on the| dump and the company
expects to put 1t through a mill as soon
as one can be built In the spring. The
company Is preparing to begin a SHAFT
from the top, of the mountain, at the apex
Of the main ledge. As it Is, impossible to
get water to that height, a steam hoist Il
out of me question for the present and o
horse within will be used.
HOmestake's Eye on DeSdwOod Terra,
The Homestake Mining company is about
TO purchase the Deadwood- Terra, which has
been under the Homestake managemen;
for a number of years. The stakeholder
In the Deadwood-T Terra company have re-
Gently received an Official notice from the
headquarters of the company In New YorI
Of a special meeting OF the stockholders
to be held February IL. 1909, to consider
the proposition to transfer the whole or
greater part of the company's property and
franchises. The Deadwood-T Terra. stock 1,
held largely by individuals who are inter,
ested in the Homestake, and the min
is being and has been for twenty year
operated in connection with the Homestak,
and the lower workings are connected witt
those OF the Homestake and other associ
ated mines. There is a 160-stamp mill a
the mine. which has been running continu
ously since Il was built In the later seven
ties. with the exception OF a short perio,
following a FIRE in the hoist less than thre,
years ago. The mine has been a stead
producer and has distributed a large sun
in dividends among Its stockholders.
CIeAn-Up of the Wasp.
The Wasp No. 2 on Yellow creek ha
made its semi-monthly cleanup and tn
product, 607 ounces of bullion, has bee
deposited at the UnitedNStates assay ono
; IN Deadwood. This is one Of the larges
clean-ups made at the Yellow creek eyanid
plant and represents a value Of abou
$1,000. The cyanide plant Is workin
smoothly and there is no perceptible de
crease in the ore in sight. The mill hs
been nearly doubled in capacity With
the last year and there is a possibilit
OF its being still further Increased In orde
TO handle the ore on a larger scale.
The Rossiter cyanide plant in Deadwoo
l. ~ n 49,