The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1916-06-08
Charles Sweeney's Death
Recalls Hump Activities

throughout the central Idaho min.
lug country the death OF Charles
S% ,I the mining magnate, win re-
I on Tue bunalo Hump mining boom in
, nuano county occurring during the
sears 1871 1904, when the interest of
Tue entire western country was direct
1 1 10 lhat district as the result OF the
Dig Buffalo discovery made NV Rert
nigie! ana associate prospectors.
People rushed to the district from
an sections, in the advance guard be-
lug many experts, representing the
ialsest mining operators of the conn.
Wy MI. Sweeney's men were early on
me ground and Sweeney later actively
entered INTO negotiations with the
owners, having as competitors the De
'-aliar company and mining operators
vi IKE prominence. He finally suc
ceeued III making deal on the basis
OF $oo0OOO. Litigation, however de-
Neioped among Rigley and associates
ana sweeney ultimately acquired the
NINE for about 100000 At the per
iod he also secured other properties
ulciuulhg the Nesuvius, and those
cioSely acquainted with the operations
S'a'e tllat his total OUTLAWS i'm the Buff
talo Hump district finally reached
close to 100000.
mill was installed ut the Big Buff
laio lhlhe' the ore being free milling.
ana operations were carried forward
until the 210-foot level was reached.
Inc public was never advised as to
what this ore returned. The announce
hent or the shutdown came as a sur
prise, the only explanation being that
the vein had run out"
The purchase of the Big Buffalo by
Such ali interest as Mr.. Sweeney re
suited Ill boom values being placed on
all holdings In the district and the
country for many miles was staked
OUT. Other properties than the Big
Bu1talo group were acquired by inter
. ests independent of Mr.. Sweeney and
! STOCK III some of these companies, cap
. ltalized at $2,O00000 sold as high as
80 cents share Towns were estab
: llshed iii the camp and at Concord out
, lying lots sold as high as $25O-the
presumption being large mining
town there was inevitable. With Mr..
Sweeny's withdrawal general de
cline of confidence followed and i'm re-
NNAt SNAAo SNtiiS pipIItl lltS anu DIOS~
poets have been developed only in a
transient manner
At the time of the shutdown of the
Big Buffalo many persons formed the
view that the step had as an object
} the acquiring of other properties by
the SWeeny interests-that the show
ing made on the Big Buffalo and other
properties in the district did not war
rant the shut-dOwn-and that opinion
. is still held by many mining men.
However, the Sweeny people stated
that the Big uffalo had proved to be
a wedge of ore, the upper portion of
! the wedge being ON the surface. and
that the vein pinched down to nothing
at the depth the shaft was sunk
f In the process Of milling very rich
> free milling ore was encountered The
owners claimed this was simply found
3 in kidneys The quartz was almost a
pure white and Streaks of gold rib
. bed it. Many of the miners retained
t such specimens and the display of
f these later tended to promote the
r doubt that the shutdown of the mine
was justified In recent years the
: SWeeny interests have perfected pat
. ents to all their ground, but there has
been no indication of renewing oper-
! ations. The Big Buffalo mill was
! moved some years ago to property in
the Elk or Dixie district.
An interesting Sidelight on the
great mining boom was afforded in the
personality and career of Bert Rigley,
the discoverer. He had appeared as a
= prospector in Idaho county from Colo
RADIO. and it was later disclosed that
p he was fugitive from justice, having
> killed man mt Victor Rigley's real
name was Young. He was cowboy
+ as we'll as a miner and had the aban-
q don of the old west. His prospecting
O partners were men named ButterWorth
( and Robbins, and they as we'll We're
of the frontier type. All three now are
dead Robbins died after a brief ill
ness from an attack Of typhoid fever
and Butterworth Succumbed to lung
trouble. These two left no information
as to relatives and seemed just Il
: have drifted into the Idaho county
. section. then one of the most isolated
districts Of all the west A fuurtl
miner interested in the property wa'
: Bert Mckinney, former Coeul
= d'Alene resident, while jacob Rice
:, formerly Of Asotin county, claimed al
q interest in the mine through some
:, grubstake arrangement.
u When Rice instituted suit while salt
of the property was pending Rigle!
shot at Rice in the principal hotel o
Grangeyflle and this further compl1
Gated the situation, ultimately Itigley
81 who had held the whip hand owe
IS his associates. consenting to deal a
e a lower figure than would aiherWls'
p have been the case His tShe was IL
e nstrated by statements he Woul'
/ make to prospective purchasers
It ------