Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-05-31

D. G. Mckay, who recently became
associated with F. L. Wilson in a fine
group Of claims at Maiden, was in Du.
1uth a few days ago, and in an in.
terview with the Evening Herald Of
that place, said:
1T Is q peculiar fact that towns
east Of the Mississippi river which
are perhaps two or three times the
size OF many to be found in the west
are scarcely known at all beyond the
oorders OF their own state, while the
western burg Is known from ocean to
ocean. Perhaps this is because there
are fewer towns in the west. Take
Lewistown and Helena, in Montana,
Tor example. Nearly everybody ap-
pears to know where they are, al.
though they are little more than vii.
lagos.
"Lewistown has population of
about 5000. Despite it's size it is an
up-to-date little city in every respect,
except that it does not possess any
metropolitan hotels. The stores you
md there are Of grade equal to the
best in the cities, and the stocks Of
Tered for sale are only of the best.
The freight expense Of getting goods
into the town is so high that it does
not pay to bring in shoddy articles.
And the people are willing to buy the
best. Everybody seems to have mon
ey. The miners are paid good wages,
none Of them receiving less than $3.50
a day, and they are free spenders.
1T costs passengers 5 cents a mile
to ride on the railroad leading into
Lewistown, and the freight rates are
correspondingly high. The track is
all grades and curves, and four or five
cars is about all any engine can han
die. In some places the grade is three
feet to every hundred reet.
Everything is very active in west
ern mining circles now, and the in
dcations for busy season are good.
New properties are being opened up
and old ones are being operated to
the limit. Owing to strict laws of the
state, providing for heavy fines and
Imprisonment for anyone caught op-
Grating wildcat scheme for fleeing
the public, there are few fake mining
propositions afloat in Montana. This
is not saying that every mine into
which money is put is turned into
9 paying proposition, for no mining
proposition is a dead sure thing, but
even the losing ventures are gone in.
to with good faith. Mining is being
brought down to such a fine point
now that there are fewer large losses
than in the old days, for before any
great amount Of money is spent the
owners are able, with improved meth
DDS, to Judge pretty accurately of just
what the property will produce, and
so do not go ahead unless a reason.
able profit is in sight. Many failures
in the past have been due to misman-
agement. The diamond drill is a great
boon to the miner of today"
It is commonly thought that the
presence of copper is bar to the
treatment of an ore by the cyanide
process. This is not true. It some
times happens that when even two or
three per cent. of copper is present
an ore can be treated profitably by
cyanide. On the other hand occasion
ally an ore is found that contains on
ly 0.5 per cent. copper that cannot be
profitably treated owing to the ex-
cessive consumption of cyanide. Much
depends upon the physical conditions
in which the gold and copper exist.
American Goldfields company" is
l~vv ~ Too To-