Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1906-05-24

gold producing belt. The accredited
yield of this field has reached the
sum of 500, 900, 600 in gold and
silver
Far the larger portion of this sum
was taken from the placer beds in
the first ten years of this produc-
tive period.
There was an active era of produc
ton from the gold and silver lodes
in which the maximum was passed
before the decline came in the value
of the white metal. The mining
industry received a severe shock
from the influence of this decline,
which came simultaneously with
the exhaustion of free milling lode
deposits in some of the big mines.
The fact that these lode deposits
failed to yield their treasure just at
this time, was an unfortunate coin
cident, which stopped mine develop
ment for twenty years of the richest
districts in the west.
TIE history of the Salmon river
basin is not unlike that of the des-
ert region of Nevada, in which an
imation was suspended by the
same general cause. This Idaho
belt had the Viola mine, which
made a world record in silver-lead
production, to be suspended for
fluence. The Custer, Charles
Dickins and Kcntuck mines were
known to all mining men to pass
into desuetude in response to this
influence. And a thousand idle
stamps in other sections stand as
monuments to faded glory and
lost fortunes at other points in this
mineral belt.
Our gold mines had reached in
their natural development the zone
of su1phidcs below the rich oxidizcd
pockets before the days of cyanide.
Millions &C dollars were run into
our rivers with the tailings before
even the conccntrator was known
to the best mill men. Mines were
operated extensively which saved
less than IS per cent of the assay
vaules of the ores, and in which
there is no base element that would
cause a modern mi1lman even q
day of worry
There are over 140, 900 acres OF
proven mineral lands in this dis
trict, according to the attested coun-
ty records. The mountain barriers
and the distance to the railroads
make shipment of ores from thi:
basin impracticable, unless the val
ues of the cargo can be averaged a
a minimum of SIS per ton. In tn,
way of modern machinery even the
concentration was not introduced 70
the milling of base ores until las
year, and then as a modest expert
ment. Satisfactory results of chem
ical and mechanical treatment hav,
revived our mining interests almos
as salutarially as they were ruine'
by the unfortunate conditions tina
were combined against us twent
years ago.
1t would be impossible to emu
merate in an article of this characte
the various mining proposition
which are assured practical develop
ment during the campaign seasol
of 1906. 1t may be said that almos
every one of the ancient mines
many of which have been hel
under the laws for quarter of
century, will be subjected for tn
first time to practical developmer
work during the summer; and tn
number is not less than 100 separat
properties, by actual count, all i
Salmon basin.
The special incidents which hav
revived the sleeping interests of thi
old field are not new discoveries
as in Nevada, but rather the oper
ing up of known quartz lodes, fs
below the pockets that were rifle
by the pioneers who commando
our primitive methods and facil
ties. II has become the fad here
select sites for mills with concer
traitors and watts on the ruins
arastras, without waiting for the r,
suit of development. This tendei
foot method is endangering our sui
stantial progress, as it does all ne
camps. Plans for at least fifty mil
for this revived district have m;
tured during the past winter.
Mining World.