Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-05-11
) NAMONG THE MINERS
II LATEST NEWS FROM THE TIMING CAMPS OF
~ II FERGUS COUNTY AND ELSEWHERE. =

At Frank, B. c., where huge rock
slide occurred April 20, 1903, the coal
measures have been cut through and
tilted by the limestone forming Bluff
and Turtle mountains. An adit level
has been driven into the coal near the
foot of Turtle mountain, by the Cana
d1an-American Coal company, limited,
to coal seam, from II to 16 feet
thick. Extraction of coal by this level
commenced in 1901, and developments
had been carried out SO vigorously
from that date up to the time of the
accident that the output had reached
900 to 1000 tons per day. The main
level had been driven $500 feet, and
some of the rooms had been worked
up nearly to the outcrop. The pre-
else height of the mountain above the
valley was probably about $500 feet.
There were no premonitory symptoms
of fall and work was proceeding as
usual at the mine. A train of loaded
cars had just been drawn out of the
colliery siding, when, about a. M,
fearful rumble was heard, and the east
ern face of the mountain slid down
into the valley with appalling velocity
The only living witnesses of the fall
were the train hands. All the men en-
gagged at the colliery tipple, the cars,
staging, machinery, coke ovens and
dwelling houses, with their inmates,
were swept away in moment, and of
the SO people known to have lost their
lives only six bodies were recovered.
The debris covered 900 acres of
ground. A length of two miles of the
Canadian Pacific railway track was
completely buried, and a mile or more
of the Grassy Mountain railway. The
debris, as it lies in the valley today,
gives the spectator the idea of huge
wave breaking on the seashore, with
two gigantic petrified pillows occu-
plying about the center of the valley,
and the broken water (of stones) run
ming up Bluff mountain, on the oppo-
site side of the valley, to vertical
height of $50 feet above the original
valley, Chicago Mining World.
The bill respecting the taxation of
mining lands brought down this week
by the Toronto legislature, provides
that the tax on organized municipali-
ties shall be five cents per acre, and
in unorganized territories eight cents
per acre. The government has no in
tention Of imposing royalty on the
mineral production. The acreage tax
will be applied to bonuses for refining
in Ontario of certain minerals which
are now refined outside of the pro-
vince. It is expected that the tax and
the fees imposed under the new min
ing bill already introduced will realize
somewhat over 100000 yearly, so that
in addition to the bonus plan, outlined
below. an ample amount will be pro-
vlded from the mining revenues to
meet all the expenses of the mining
department and the carrying out of the
laws and regulations. Bonuses for re-
lining will be given on the following
basis: Nickel, six cents per ton: cop
per, one cent per ton arsenic, one
half cent per ton; cobalt, five cents
per ton. In no case will the aggregate
OF the bonuses exceed the following
maximum in each year: Nickel, s25,
600; copper, $4,000: cobalt and ARISEN
&c, $4,000 each, total of 100000 pei
year. The bonus period is fixed al
fivfie years. If the aggregate of any
one class OF minedal refined exceeds
the aggregate of the specific maximum
bonus, the latter will be divided pre-
rata.
Fresh cyanide of potassium is odor
less, but after having absorbed some
moisture it eXhales an odor of hydro
cyanic acid. 1t is white, deliquescent
and generally found in sheets or thir
rolls. 1t is slightly soluble in concen
trated alcohol and becomes efferves
cent with concentrated acids. emit
ting a prussic vapor having the char
acteristic odor of bitter almonds. Mix
ed with caustic soda I've and treate,
with a solution of protoxide of irol
and hydrochloric acid, it gives a blu
precipitate. 1t is used in the chemica
extraction of gold and silver.
Automobiles in the desert district
OF Nevada are equal to almost an,
emergency. Recently number of min