The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1915-09-24
BLEWETT
CONTINUED from first page

under foreclosure sale Wllnlu the past
two years and are now preparing to OPP
crate the old mill under new plan
with modern machinery. They have
done considerable work in the tunnels,
of which there are some twenty-odd of
depth or length from a few hundred
feet to two and three thousand feet. In
three or four Of the tunnels he has
opened up or extended Mr.. Ridgley
has taken out samples which show gold
values from SIS to SIS per ton and often
showing exceedingly rich ore in small
quantities that runs up into the thou
sands of dollars per ton. We saw sew
eral samples that showed free gold in
alluring quantities. Indeed, we have
formerly seen numerous samples from
there of rock the size of hens
egg that would be worth $40 or more.
We have also been shown graves
near Blewett, several Of them, that owe
their existence to the disputed owner
ship of gold nuggets. The dark tales
that could be told about this old camp,
before the reign of law and order began,
the thimble-rigging, swindling, stock
selling, and even murders committed
all over yellow gold-would fill book
the size of an ordinary law tome.
Mr.. Ridgley has some fifty or one
hundred tons Of ore, either on dump
or in sight, besides a considerable guam
tity sacked up and ready for shipment
this winter, that runs in value from SIS
to $25 per ton.
The Golden Eagle property, consis-
ting of number of claims and small
mill building and two stamps, cynaid-
ing tanks and other mining machinery
is located about a half mile up the
gulch from the old La Rica mill, was
built and equipped in the last ten
years but has never been run for any
length of time. 1t was built by ]. A.
Mccarthy and is now in the hands Of
receiver. For the past eight or ten
months Mr.. McCarty and Roy Thur
mond have been operating the prop
erty, attempting to extract gold by the
cyaniding process. Just what success
they have had we could not learn as
no one was at the mill to tell US what
was being done. Mr.. Thurmond at
this time is on the Sound, supposedly
to arrange for its operation.
Mining men are either the most Sc
cretive, or else the most voluble peo-
pie one can meet in a days travel.
Most of them refuse to tell you any
thing, leaving the impression that they
have something great but do not want
the world to know anything about their
business. Then again you meet the
other sort. They tell you so much,
with such a profuse use of figures and
dollar marks that one is bewildered and
fears for his reputation for truthfulness
should he quote them. So there you
are, between the devil of mystery and
the deep sea Of exageration.
The recent strike, the one that
caused SO much talk in the past ten
days was made about half a mile from
the place we visited, across ridge,
on Niger creek, but il the same min
eral belt. A Cashmere man by the
name of Wilder owns the property,
but another man by the name of War
ner, who is working the property, has
struck free gold bearing quartz that
parties who have seen it say would run
$4,000 to the ton. We lacked the
time to visit this property. Time will
tell whether the old camp is to have
real revival. That there is gold in
those hills about Blewett there is not
the least doubt. Whether it would
cost more to recover than it is worth
we will not venture an opinion. One
thing we do know there are some ten
or fifteen men who have by the crud
est methods been able to wrest liv-
ing, and more, from the ground. And
they have been doing it for twenty-odd
years. They come out three or four
times year with enough gold to buy
provisions. Some have gold nuggets,
others have it in dust form va small
brick, which they exchange for cur
rencv at the banks. Many come here