The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1909-12-01
News of Montana
GOLD DREDGING URGED.
Speaker Mcdowell Shows How For.
tunes Are Being Overlooked.

Helena.-W. w. Mcdowell, speaker
of the house of representatives at the
last session, expects to leave for the
east shortly to interest capital in the
mining business. In an interview he
said:
Il believe there is one branch of
the mining business that the Montana
men have overlooked - dredging.
There are untold thousands of acres
of collaborating land in Montana which
will not pay to sluice by placer min
ing. In the last three years countless
improvements have been made on
dredging machinery until today they
have dredges which will treat 1000
cubic yards of dirt every twenty-four
hours, and the services of only two
men are required to operate them.
Even at 10 cents yard, this is $500
gross. and the operating expenses will
not be at the most more than 500.
California produces more dredged
gold at present than all the other
western states put together, and there
Is one man who owns a regular feet
of dredges.
University Engaged in Mining.
There Is no reason whatever why
dredging could not be carried on as
successfully in Montana as it is in
Colafirnia. Harvard university is in
terested in the three dredges which
have been operating in Alder gulch
for some time. l saw Harvard
financial report recently, and one of
the items in it showed that million
odd dollars were received from these
three dredges. l believe that some
friend of the university beQueathed
these dredges and the land to it.
would like to see more of them at
work in this state. Around Helena,
at the mouth of Confederate gulch,
and many other places, there are
areas ideally suited to mining by this
method. The land in many instances
is valua!ess for agricultural purposes
and it should be made to yield rev.
enue'
Old Mines Resuming.
Operations are to be resumed at the
famous Jay Gould mine so soon as 1T
can be retimbered. Likewise the
Hubbard is to resume. These proper
ties are at Gold, in this county, as is
the power plant, which has a poten-
tial of $4,000 horsepower. The Jay
Gould has produced more than 81 ,000,-
600 in gold, and in it and in the Hub
bard large ore bodies have been
blocked out. The inability to secure
wood to run the mills necessitated the
clOse-down.
James Breen, the Spokane million
aire, has made all arrangements to
proceed with the development and
operation of what is known as the
porphyry dixie, few miles south of
Helena. Engineers pronounce it one
of the greatest low-grade gold PROPOSE
tons extant. AS there is no available
site for mill at the dixie, it is prob
able that one will be erected in the
valley below Helena, which will give
a gravity haul for the ore.
Many Under Improvement.
The Fisher Creek Mining & Smelt-
ing Company, headed by Arthur
Goodwin, of Minneapolis, which re-
Gently took over the Vrick and Bran
gan properties in Lincoln county,
plans upon the immediate increase of
the capacity of the mill to 100 tons
daily and to put in an equipment that
will save larger percentage of the
gold, as we'll as 20O-horsepower cleo
trio plant. The property has produced
$S5,000 in gold and silver in less than
two years.
The Corbin-M Montana Company's
property at Corbin is now electrified
and power for it's operation is being
furnished from the Missouri river
dams near here. The mine is show.
ing up in excellent shape.
A new ore body of ore running
from $50 to $40 ton on an average
has been found in the Elkhorn mine
near the Jefferson county town of
that name, owned by the Longmaids
of Helena.