The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-17
NEW BLOOD IN
OLD ALDER CUL.CH
Strong Interests Quietly Take
Up Large Area of New
Placer Ground.
TO GIVE THEORIES
A THOROUGH TEST
Madison County, Montana, the
Scene OF Much Mysterious
Prospecting.
TO The Tribune.

SpGSidt 10 Inc Ilpins.
HELENA. Mont. Sept. 16,-More than
ordinary interest attaches to a certain
operation now on the verge OF being per-
formed in Madison county. where for the
last several weeks a mysterious party OF
| surveyors has been engaged In survey
Ing tract OF land extending from the
intersection OF East Granite creek with
Granite creek proper 10 Butcher gulch a
distance. OF seven miles. Until a few
days ago 1t was supposed they were gov
ernment employees. but il now develops
they are prospectors. who had discovered
the original bed OF Alder gulch and were
engaged in locating all the ground along
It's course, which undertaking has just
peen completed, involving about 1000 acres
OF placer claims. Certificates involving
these have been filed with the clerk and
recorder.
The party was In charge OF w. c.
Watson, a practical miner of thirty-siX
years experience N various western
camps, Including the Famous placers OF
OroVii!e Cal. He has visited Madison
county several times in the last ten years
without disclosing his plans 10 anyone.
From the time OF his first visit. he has
been convinced that the hundred million
dollars in placer gold taken from Alder
gulch was only a modest portion OF the
wealth contained in the original channel
OF the guleh which he Is satisfied lies
from one TO two miles east OF what Is
now known rs Alder gulch \ few months
ago he brought another OroYlle expert
10 Montana with him, and together they
made an eNaminatio OF the ground HIS
conclusion was the same as that OF Mr..
watson. stating that he found conditions
Identical with those in a certain Califor-
MA district, where the old channel was
opened up and more than one hundred
million dollars taken out. In that case
the old channel was capped with lava
formation and so II is in Madison county,
After the report Of this expert was an
curing the desired capital. but II was
necessary, OF course. that great secrecy
be observed. This having been done un-
Ill the land has been located. Watson
has now made known his purposes That
the proposition does not rest wholly upon
theory is proven by the fact that while
locating the ground Watson prospected
In number OF places, getting good pros
poets wherever the gravel came TO the
surface. which IL does at frequent inter-
walls along the route surveyed. To thor
oughly test the value OF the claims the
heaviest OF drills will be used. but owing
TO the lateness OF the season active op-
erations will be postponed until spring.
although some preliminary work will be
done, Watson has absolute confidence In
the value OF his discovery. as has his as
sociate expert and those capitalists In |
terested are also more or less enthusi-
sStic over the proposition. Watson pre- |
diets that Virginia City will again be-
come famed the world over as a gold |
producer, The company has ample cap
Ital. ii is stated and will conduct oper-
ations on extended scale, the claims |
being worked by means OF tunnels, from |
which they Will get more than sufficient |
water to wash the gravel
Alder gulch is the scene of the first |
discovery of gold In Montana. and its
placer mines yielded one hundred million
dollars Even TO this day dredges are
worked. and in consequence Madison
county is one of the largest gold pro-
iucers OF any county in the safe. Wat
1eld. o., while his associates in the enter
Prise are chiefly residents OF California.