Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-15
MINING IN The BLACK HILLS
Much Property Changing Hands as the
aeason Draws to Close.
PLACER OPERATIONS ARE SUSPENDED
water In the Creeks Too Low to
Render PrOatabIe-Activity
In the Tin and Copper
Belts.

Render II NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
tn the TIN and Copper
Belts.
CUSTER CITY, s. D.. Sept. 14.-tSpeCial)
l. Landers, who represents a Chicago
company, a few days ago purchased Of j. L.
Rider his Four Mile property, besides a
good ranch which is adjacent TO the mines.
The consideration. while not made public, is
known to have been a large one. Mr.. Land
RS has recently had a large amount or ore
ON the property tested and he seems to
ave been very much pleased with the re-
suits Of the test.
The Duluth Copper company, which has
been prospecting its ground on Spring creek,
near this city. with a diamond drill, will
drill another 100 feet. The drill Is now down
200 feet. and It is said that the assays made
from the cores taken from the hole show
that the drill is in ore. at that depth, and
that 1t will prove to be a good proposition
to sink on.
The Golden Mortar Mining and Develop
ing company is the name Of an organization
which has recently been organized in this
city for the purpose Of developing the
Holmes and Bennington property on Light
ming creek, six miles west OF this city.
There are several claims in the group and
on some OF them are good prospects, which
IL is the intention of the new company to
open up and develop.
Ore OF a good grade has been struck in
the shaft Of the Clara Belle and the two
stamp Treamaine mill, which Is on the mine.
will be started up on it this week. There is
said to be a big body OF It where the shaft
cuts Il and that all of IT will pay to mill.
The Clara Belle has several good ore bodies
exposed on it in the various workings and In
all of them the ore is OF fair grade. It Is
a free-milling concentrating proposition, and
with a large plant every pound Of ore in
the mine would pay well to work.
Development on the Leroy group is being
pushed and the shaft is now down on the
vein for about 100 feet and the ore which is
being taken out appears to be growing bet
ter with every foot of depth made. The ore
now being taken from the shaft carries tel
lurium in small quantities.
Activity at Ragged Top.
DEADwooD. S. D., Sept. 1A-(Special.)-
Considerable activity is being displayed
among the mines Of the Ragged Top district
Of late and the work which is being done
there is uncovering some very good ore
bodies. In the Cameo group, owned by Ros-
sitter and associates of this city, a shaft xii
in the clear has been sunk for a distance of
10 feet. This shaft has been following down
a small vertical and at the present depth
has struck a shoot of ore in the fiat for
nation which runs $40 a ton. This shoot
has been prospected by a twenty foot
drift and the ore is growing a little better
as it is being gone in on. Mr.. Rossiter,
Who is experimenting the work, has stopped
development on the shoot and will continue
work in the shaft. which will be sunk until
II reaches the sandstone contact, which lies
under the lime. On this contact he expects
to and that the four-foot vertical which he
has been following will develop into a large
shoot of ore, and that the vein which comes
90 the surface in the shaft is but a stringer
leading from It. This is q new proposition In
this district, for heretofore 1t has not been
thought worth while to look for ore on the
sandstone contact and little attention has
been paid to the small shoots which are met
with in the various workings in the neigh
borhood in his formation. In the Dacey
shaft, which is close to the Cameo, and down
1865 feet, the sandstone was gone through
about 1855 feet from the surface, and above
it and resting on It the shaft cut through an
eighteen IOOI SHOOT OF ore, Dul II WIS tue
intention to sink the shaft to the quartzite,
so little attention was paid to this ore body
until the work in the Cameo again called
attention to It, and the Dacey company will
now begin operations looking toward open
ing Il up. Work on this ground has been
suspended for some time, but will be re-
stunned this week, when a station will be
established on the sandstone contact and
drtft9 cfaEfaI In Tho chnot ond ora faIan
out for shipment. as samples Of ore taken
from the face OF the shoot where exposed in
the shaft show that the ore will average
$40 to the ton, and is one of the best cyan
iding propositions. The ore occurs just be-
low the limestone and on top Of the sand.
stone.
The Mercur company In the same neigh
borhood is doing a great deal of work, and
is about ready to begin operations on its
100-ton cyanide plant, which it proposes ID
put up on Spearfsh creek. On this property
a great many shoots Of ore have been ex-
posed, some OF them very extensive and all
of them carrying ore OF good commercial
value.
BnIIou Sells Out.
A deal was closed last Thursday by which
the holdings OF Ben Ballou, consisting OF
thirty-one acres Of good mining ground on
Sheeptail guleh. we're disposed Of to a party
Of Black Hills capitalists for the sum OF
SIS. 900. The ground is in e well known
district, and one In which there are 9
number OF producing mines. and the price
paid for It is small when compared TO that
] which property with less development in
the same nelghborhood has brought. But
Ben is an old prospector and has held his
ground for the last twenty-five years. and
during that time has kept up the annual
assessment work on It, often being hard
pushed TO do It. but managing 1t somehow
He is getting old, and the price to him Is q
big one, although he will be compelled
to split Il up with several people who hold
small interests in the ground with him
The Lucky Boy group Of claims on Eth
Greek. near B~enehmaTk Is being developed
with good results. The group Is owned by
a company Of Sioux City and eastern South
Dakota people. a number Of whom we're out
here last week to investigate the property
and examine the work which has been done
on II this spring and summer. The devel-
opment OF the property has exposed a mum.
Der Of good veins OF ore, and the mair