The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19
Special to The Journal.

r Black Hills are known CnleHy Dy TWO
items, the Homestake mine and the
morals of their communities. The one
is noted; the other notorious. Inc
mine is closed to most visitors; the
morals of Deadwood are an open book.
Deadwood has streets that are like the
streets of the New Jerusalem, paved
with gold. The rock that was used
for paving is worth at least 81 to the
ton, much of it more. But the re-
Semblance to the holy city ends right
there. Still, Deadwood is not so bad.
There is no more vice than In Boston
or Minneapolis but it is a little more
open. Absolutely nothing in the way
of wickedness is concealed. The doors
are open everywhere, and what would
shock an eastern community is mere
a matter Of course and is taken With
out comment or notice.
DeadwOod's morals are improving,
however; they are better than in the
days Of the Indian and the holdup
artist. But so long as the Hills are
the jumping off place, the entrepot
for the cattle country of all Wyoming
and the far northwest, Deadwood, the
seat of a mining community hemmed
in by hundreds Of miles Of plains can
hardly become sOmnOlent
The story Is told of a woman at
Omaha who wished to go west and
who asked the station master for a
guide" He handed her Bible.
not help me; 1t doesn't tell of any
place within ten million miles of my
destination. I'm going to DeadWood:
Speaking of Omaha, when people in
the Hills say they are going off east
or way down east man from New
England. naturally cages their stop
ping place as somewhere near Port
land. AS matter of fact 1T is
Omaha, nineteen times out OF twenty.
Omaha is the promised land, the place
1,~i,, lofb ND
where they go to see the shows, and
for what pleasures they cannot get at
home It is only twenty-four hours
ride over the Northwestern road, a
trifing matter Of 500 miles.
Spearfish Canyon Beats Them All.
The Hills are, geologically speaking,
a freak. Rising suddenly out OF
the level brown plains when stretch
unfortunately in every direction, TINS
area Of 5000 square miles IS as orokt
en- and as rugged and virile as any spot
on earth. You may think that you
have seen mountain railroading when
you have run the royal gorge on the
Rio Grande, or crossed on the North-
- ern Pacific. But you nave not.
Spearfish canyon has them beaten u d
finish.
The Hills are covered with pine,
and it Is easy to see why early pros
pectors called them black Ihev
are a. dark mass against the noIlzon
from every point Of view. Ihelf mass
is. if one can believe the prospectuses
of mining companies, chiefly ore. In
. 1aed II is really a good deal so. There
is no such precious metal mlnerallza-
tion in the United States as this one.
Take the Homestake. At depth It's
collaborating lodes run up to ooo 1eet
wide and are as persistent at 1'loV
feet down as they were on the sur
q
richer. ~ :.
Take the Golden Empire, Whlch is
fifteen miles away. Its 1900 acres
has a stupendous mlnerallzatlon. LIS
mineral hill alone covers l,OOo acres
and at no point on the entlre mil nave
tunnels shown. anything but ore; IN
MANY cuts one can see the free golo
stickinr ont of the rock. Homestake
lodes extend almost unbroken, so TAI
as can be determined, for miles IN a
northwesterly course, as true ana d.
persistent as the Missouri. Mile altel
mile the silicious ore "blanket comes
almost to the surface of the GROUND
and is quarried out and taken dlrec'
to mill and cyanide tank.
Greatness of the HOmestake.
With all this richness so easily
found, the Hills nave peeh hloMi
as A. one-mine region. The Homestake
has been so overwhelmingly big tina
it has hidden everything else. Its out
nut Of gold this year is $4,ooO,ooo
which Is about half the total produc
ton of the district. The Golden he
ward produces S1,O0O,00O, and on
never hears Of that, though it is sure
70 he another Homestake in time. The
Penobscot, which was first touched o.
a. mining man eighteen months ago
is producing about 900 a day. Thes'
properties are all close corporations
with no stock for sale.
Development, aside from home
stake, really has been slow. 1t is no
hard to tell why, even in dlstrlc
that twenty years ago was famou
all over the world for it's rich placer
and for the millions sluiced out o
them. The ore is refractory, gener
ally speaking. 1t is usually low grad
the Homestake's rock returns les
than "a a ton-and water has pee
hard to get in sufficient quantity. On
company has spent $1,500,O00 in
pumping plant. These things haV
made it a country where the poo
man Is not successful.
1t takes big consolidation of claims
money for great mills and chemics
treatment and for water, to make min
ing in the Hills successful. But one
on a paying basis, it is not mining /
the usual acceptance Of the term
is a. manufacturing proposition, wit
pure gold as the product. Ihere
probably no gold-mining region in tn
world where chances Of failure ar
less, management being proper, tina
in the Hills.
Beginning Of More Production.
Just now the Hills are on the ev
of a, great impetus in gold production
The Homestake is to add 200 stamp
to its vast equipment 1t belongs
Mrs. Hearst and her California asso
ciates.
The Golden Reward is doubling it
production steadily. Its owners ar
the Harrimans of Southern Paclfl
fame. The Hidden Fortune, belong
ing to Denver and Saltwater, Mimi
men, is commencing to make colo
the Penobscot, owned in Negaune
Mich, is a new producer of magn
tude. The Horseshoe has a great ne
mill The Columbus is developing
mile square Of ground, carrying ever
Homestake lode, right between thu
mine and the Penobscot, and has tn
possibilities of another Homestake.,
& is to erect at once 1,000-ton mil
The Golden Empire has a develop
ment almost ready to commence ths
ought to make it the greatest gol
producer in the world.
These are all big companies, closel
held by men of wealth, and wit
abundance of means for any neceSsar
development. They are not stock jol