Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-05-06
Nav Conner District.

With the construction Of the Great
Northern branch line from Kalispell
into the Tobacco Plains district, Mon
tana will soon have another copper
district. There is much activity In
mining circles. The independence,
the oldest property in the district,
is said to be one Of the best copper
properties in northwestern Montana,
and several hundred feet Of tunnel
work has been done.
Plan to Work Low Grade Ore.
A Record Herald dispatch from New
York says: Thomas A. Edison has a
scheme for extracting the untold mil
lions of dollars worth of gold that lie
in the immense low grade" gravel
and quartz beds in California, New
Mexico, Arizona and northern Mexico.
They cannot be worked now because
the old-fashioned placer hydraulic
system is lacking and the gold runs
in to small quantities to make min
ing profitable under other systems.
An air blast is employed by Mr.. Edi-
son in his solution to separate the
gold from the mass. The system, it
Is claimed, has 10Y reached a working
basis. Experiments near Santa Fe,
N. NJ, by Fletcher Chapman, one of
Mr.. Edison's assistants, has caused
Mr.. Edison and Mr.. Chapman to pro-
duce a machine which they declare
will reclaim ninety per cent. Of the
gold from the gravel. In hydraulic
mining it was thought remarkable IL
seventy-fve per cent. was washed out.
One man, 1t is claimed, can run
cores Of separators. The gravel is
first dug out of the ground with a
steel shovel; %conveyors then carry it
to sleeves that separate 1t into parti-
Giles of uniform size. Each separator
IS designed to handle gravel of a GER
tain size and the gravel is automati-
cally distributed to the hopper of its
proper machine. The gravel falls
through a narrow slit before a rotary
blower, which drives a full blast Of air
against the gravel. The gold, being
heavier, falls to the bottom Of the
machine; but all of the lighter gravel
and sand is blown into separate com
partments.
-
Butte's Enormous Output.
More wealth is produced in the
small area of Butte city every year
than in some whole states. The rev.
enue from the mines, some $55, 000,.
900, is equal to the income of the gov.
eminent of Holland. The recent great
progress in every department of cleo.
trical development has been made
possible in a large degree by the en-
ergy of these men of Butte. For the
city and its environs now produce
a quarter of the worlds entire product
of copper, about two-fifths of that OF
the United States. A single group OF
mines in the heart of the city, the
Anaconda, yields more than twice as
much copper yearly as all Germany
Nor is the treasure confined to cop
per. Butte is the greatest silver pro
ducing center in the United States
its annual output, some $13, 000, 900
being nearly equal to that Of the en-
tire state of Colorado, which, mex
to Montana, has the largest produc
ton of all the states. And of gold
Butte still yields considerably ovel
$1,000. 900 yearly.-Ray Stannard Bak
er in Century.
Pleased With the Country.
Amos P. Pendleton and j. H. Maur
titus. of Chicago, who ere in this
place and Gilt Edge last week looking
after their mining interests, dropped
in on the Argus Friday evening fol
a few moments before starting fol
home. Both gentlemen are very fav
orally impressed with what they have
seer and the way they have beer
treated since coming to this county
and expressed a desire to revisit the
place soon. Mr.. Pendleton will bt
back some time in the summer t.
further observe the progress beint
made in the development of their min
ing property. which is the Surprise
group near Gilt Edge. Considerable
development work is being done there
at the present time and operations
will be pushed more actively the com
ing summer. Messrs. Pendleton anC
Mauritus started Saturday for thei
eastern homes.
Some Good Looking Prospects.
Henry Willard, Of Maiden, was IL
Lewistown on a short visit Thursday
He has what he thinks to be som
first-class properties near Maiden ant
fully expects to strike something goot
before many months. With thirt,