The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-10-08

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Ballarat Mine
The Ballarat mine was a typica
wildcat proposition, and it is surpris
ing how men of discernment an(
knowledge of mining could be so de-
ceived. There were four men who
discovered this mine. They had
great hopes for it and really thought
they had good thing. These men
were William Smith, William Bald
win, Daniel McKiever and e. B.
Watson. They lived in cabin close
to their prospect. 1t stands today
but in fallen condition.
They worked for some months
taking out ore and storing it until
they could have a cleanup. They
built an arastra near their cabin,
which also stands today. 1t was a
crushing machine run by horsepower.
The men, whenever they came down
into the town, would tell of the rich
ness of the ore and predict a great
cleanup. Everyone was telling of the
richness of the Ballarat mine. The
Deer Lodge and Virginia City news
papers had much to say about it, and
all visitors to the camp went back
home with glowing tales of this mine
which promised to make a perman-
ent thing of Red Mountain City.
One day they started to crush the
ore and after it was all pulverized
they PANIED it out. Great was their
chagrin to find that there was scarce
ly any gold in it. They dreaded to
face the ridicule of their fellows, and
so they gathered together what dust
there was and melted it into a piece
of gold about the size of an assay
er's button. This they took to town
and displayed as a sample of their
ore. The people of Red Mountain
City were amazed at this wonderful
product of their mine. Everyone
was talking of it. Professor Swallow
of Deer Lodge heard of it, and he at
once saw that such a rich property
should be developed, and he succeed
ed in interesting two st. Louis capt.
talists in the property. They bought
1t and some adjoining claims for
$4,000 and proceeded to build a.
24-stamp mill. Professor Swallow
was put in charge of the whole plant
Cabins for the men employed were
built not far from the mill, and one
fine one with an up-to-date fireplace
was occupied by Professor Swallow
and his family. Everything was
booming. Ore was brought to the
mill from all the neighboring quartz
claims to be crushed. They had a
whistle that could be heard in Butte. |
Bubble Bursts
After a while the st. Louis men
began to wonder why there were no
reports Of dividends. They waited a |
while then they sent Professor Philip
Knabe out to investigate the proper !
ty. He stayed a year, and not only
the Ballarat claims, but
every one in the Highlands. He sent
back his report, saying that in his |
judgment the whole gulch was not
worth two bits. Everything was
chinery was sold to Jim Talbot of
Butte, who installed it in the old
Silver Bow mill. The whistle did
service at the Parrot smelter. The
foundation of the old mill still stands
in fine state of preservation, but
The cabins have all been taken away.
There was little of the wild west
srn life in Red Mountain City. In
TACT, there was very little of it in
any of the Montana camps as COM
pared with the camps In California
and Nevada. One man.. Charles De
Lorimer, who was 35 or 40 years of
.ge, had been west since he was a
1oung man. He used to entertain
he crowd with tales of his wild west
'rn experiences. He often declared
hat "the glitter of the bowie knife
ind the click of the pistol were as
music to his ear"
Little Trouble
There was a vigilance committee
n Highland Gulch, but there was,
1ery little to do. There were a few
lnruly characters, but they had no
rouble In keeping them in check.
They had one hanging, but it did not
lave the sanction of the whole body
If vigilantes. The victim was a
1oung fellow by the name of Douglas
Who had been accused of stealing
;attle and the evidence proved con-
'lusiveiy that he was guilty. How
yer, he had made his peace with the
committee in Helena and they had
ct him go free. When he appeared
n Red Mountain City soon after, he
vas told by some of the committee
o leave town, and he replied that he
i'd not have to, that that affair had
ii been settled, and he had been set
rec, and he did not propose to get
ut of town.
There were still those who thought
hat he ought not to be, at large, but
ne day when he was riding down to-
'ard Divide, he WAS met by one of
he anxious ones, and escorted back
D town. A few men were collected I
nd short trial given him, but it
'as not complete trial, and the exc
ution was hurried through, and be-
pre- the more level-headed men of
ne town knew of 1t he was hanging
'om tree in Wood gulch.
This created quite furore in the
OWN, for they felt that the young
GLOW had been hanged without hav-
u fair chance for his life, and that
g was not sufficiently guilty to war :
ant such a punishment. Further
lore, he was not at heart bad man, Z
ut on the other hand was only wild
nd reckless. All now agree that 4
7entually every man who took part