Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1905-09-21

@. cars at Deadwood and riding
down the beautiful Spearfish
Canyon to Spearfish, is a trip
always to be remembered, and
worth going many miles to ex-
perience.
The Black Hills has been open
ed up to settlement over twen-
five years, and is yet an unde-
veloped state, SO far as mining
is concerned. The Homestake,
at Lead, is very lively and full
of business, and is the second
largest gold mine in the world,
the largest one being in Alaska
which employs 700 men, princi-
pally miners and lumbermen,
has 43 miles of railray under
ground, on IL different levels,
and own millions of feet of lum-
1ar on thousands of acres of
land, which is used in proping
up these different levels, into
which horses and mules go to
work. for years without seeing
the light of day, but having the
best of feed and care, and where
miners work 8 hour shifts the
s'ear round. There are MANY
small mining plants in the Hills
some on a paying basis, while
others are lying idle, because
the promoters chose to expend
the proceeds from selling the
stock on mills on top of the
ground instead of developing
their mine. 1t is the common be
lief mining in the Black Hills
is just in its infancy, and geolo
gists claim it is the richest hum
dred square miles in the world,
not only in gold, but in iron,
copper, tin, wolfrom, (for ma
king steel out of iron, magam-
antics, for making armor plate)
and isinglass is found in album
dance; that these various met
ais will, in cource of time, be
extensively produced here there
is no doubt, and all that is wan
ted is capital and brains to de-
velope it. | have in my possess
ion some samples of wolfrom,
magamamite and gold oar, free
milling), that | am sending to
ped trhm,, f6r sale, that Will be
a fortune for the worker. The
magamanite is IS per cent fine,
the claim is 18 miles from the
railroad, but would pay to haul
with an OK team 100 miles, and
yet the Hills have many just as
good prospects.
The c. B. & @. road purchase
Ill the Pine Ties made in the
Black Hills country, and my du-
ty is to inspect these ties as
they come from the makers, to
accept or reject as the quality
| Of the tie may require, in accor-
dance with the specifications,
as they are loaded on the cars,
and sent to Sheridan, Wyo., to
the picking plant, a process by
which they are treated being
a chemical process, taking from
6 to " hours, which is said to
double the life of the tie on the
roadbed; from the picking tub
or plant they are sent out on
the system to replace old ties
Tor to build new roads. NV du-
ty requires me to travel over a
great part of the Hills each and
every month, which is done by
rail, buggy and horseback, and
am at headquarters about ter
days each month, where ties are
r made and taken up. Labor, es'
!, pecially tie and timber workers
are in good demand just now
and at good wages. A man who
can handle an axe can make
$ from $3.50 to $500 per day, ant
4 board $500 per week.
/ We've had considerable rail
:, the past summer, but for tn
last four weeks it has been dry
T but at all times the air is lik'
y spring weather in June, and i
I invigorating.
! Very truly, Yours, &c.
MI A. G. Brown.