The Dickinson press., 1916-06-10
DICKINSON MEN FIND GOLD
uT7LEHALES DREDGING Co,
PROMINENT BUSINESS MEN
INTERESTED IN NEW VEN
TURE WHICH MEANS
MUCH TO STATE.

A large number Of people in Dick
inson are becoming interested in the
project which is being carried for
ward by three we'll known and repu-
table business men Of this city, who
have incorporated under the name of
the Littlehales Dredging Company,
for the purpose of doing placer min
ing for gold in the Salmon river
country, in Custer county, Idaho.
The i~ncorporators consist OF
William J. Littlehales, who for the
past eight years has been the sup
~erintendent of waterworks of the city
of Dickinson and the inventor of the
Littlehales' Pneumatic Dredge. He is
the president. James Soules, one of
the lumber and hardware merchants
of Dickinson, is treasurer of the COM
pany and T. L. Beard, an old resident
business man, is the secretary.
Mr.. Littlehales has for years been
interested in machinery for the rapid
removal of sand and loose rock and
the sinking of wells and pumping
water therefrom under air pressure.
The close study of air pumps gave
him the idea which he finally worked
out in his invention which will now
be used in a practical manner in do
ing placer mining by means of a
dredging machine, which has the ad-
vantage of the other dredges now IN
use because of the improvement OF
his invention.
The Littlehales patented invention
consists of an air lift pump. In the
use of the ordinary dredging machine
there is bound to be a great deal OF
loose sand, containing gold dust,
which can not be lifted out of the
water. This new air-lift pump will
lift all of the gold bearing sand
down to the bed Of hard pan in the
bottom of the river by suction. Ihls
suction will also lift the gold dust
out of the ~crevices in the bottom and
so will save a great deal of the gold
which is now going to waste.
Dredging is already a paying bust
ness in the Salmon river. The Lit
tlehales Dredging Company will have
all of the benefits of the other out
fits with the additional benefit of the
new invention and so to the incor-
porators this looks like a practical
investment. =,
Messrs. Littlehales, Soules and
Beard have personally examined all
of the country and the possibilities OF
placer mining in the Salmon river.
They have secured claims and fled on
land so that now they have a claim
five miles long and 600 feet wide:
This claim is now being worked IN
a small way by panning gold. Bill
Stevenson, who will be remembered
bv the old timers in this country as
a rancher in the Standing Rock
country, is now engaged in this placer
mining with another prospector and
he wrote local men recently that he
was making on an average OF ~ per
day, panning gold. These claims are
located IS to 40 miles from Challls,
the county seat of Custer county.
The members of the company,
knowing that the other dredging
companies r making good money
from their work, feel that this pro-
ject is no speculation and as one
member stated this week, they would
like to be able to put in all the
none needed to carry on the work
However, they are unable to 40 thls
and as the company is capitalized az
500. 900, they have decided to sell
S59. 900 worth Of stock at 500 par
value. The plan is to sell only
enough stock to install the necessary
machinery so that the work can CON-
mence without a dollar OF incum-
brance.
Samples of the gold taken from the
claims owned by the company or
Salmon river may be seen at the
James Soules hardware store. a
large number Of people in Dickinson;
are evincing their faith in this proJec'
by subscribing stock.