The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1931-09-04
HUNTING
PROVES POOR
OFFICIAL PARTY FINISHES A
SURVEY ON MISSOURI;
PARTIAL REPORT

Butte, Aug. 26.-That gold o.
sufficient size or quality for com
mercial exploitation was not dis
covered on the recent prospecting
trip down the Missouri sponsored
by the State Bureau Of mines and
geology is the report of Professor
Oscar A. Dingman, in charge OF
the party.
Professor Dingman, accompan-
led by Jesse Cobb, pioneer pros
pector, and three Box Elder young
men, recently completed a two
weeks flatboat expedition down
the river, panning the bars for
gold.
The samples collected or the
trip have been assayed and sub
jected to microscopic tests by eX-
perts of the Bureau of mines and
geology. The laboratory investiga-
ton proves that the gold particles
are so finely divided and so small
in quantity as to make it doubt
ful whether a p%rospector could
earn even meager daily wages by
panning the gravel of the river
banks, Professor Dingman states.
'"The results so far obtained do
not appear to justify the Bureau
of Mines and geology in econ
mending the working of the bars
in that portion of the main river
covered by the investigation is
the statement of DR.. Francis A.
director of the bureau.
A memoir on the trip is being
prepared and will give the results
Of the expedition in detail. How
ever, Professor Dingman has pre-
pared a brief preliminary report,
which follows:
"The Missouri river gold eXplor-
ltion trip was undertaken with the
idea of ascertaining
whether or not placer gold was
resent in sufficient quantities to
)ermit working the sand and gray
i beds of the river at a profit.
Isolated cases were reported
7here prospectors, some 25 or 35
ears ago, had made wages pan
ing or rocking for gold. 1t was
bought that places might still be
0und where persons, with a min
mum outlay of S25 to $50 for J;
quipment, could make from 50 /;
possibly $4 a day, and thus al :
'Viate some of the unemployment :
r actual distress which prevails :
some of the farming communi- /;
es adjacent to the Missouri.
"Sampling or testing was begun
Fort Benton and continued to :
lie Judith ferry across the Miss I
about three-quarters of a =
lie below the junction of the =
ldith and Missouri rivers. A to- :,
| distance of approximately 100 :,
lies was covered.
"Shonkin creek. Marias river,
creek, Arrow creek and the e
dith river, streams flowing into u
e Missouri, were all examined a
distances of one-fourth to one W
If a mile upstream from their q
notion with the Missouri. All N
)rk was carefully performed. e.
THE microscopic and analytical T
,rk on the black sand concen- d
,tes taken on the trip have pro- II
essed far enough to show that. IL
'colors' may be found in al
ost places over the distances TT
vered by the survey on the Miss dt
ri river and inflowing streams, IN
of sufficient size or quality pf
commercial exploitation was
t found.
1T should be noted that bed pi
TX was not reached except in a 10
V instances since it would be a
possible of small-scale opera m
MS in most cases re
The extreme fineness of the Gt
d indicates that the particles ia
ye been moved long distances.
l it is quite possible that the =,
lches and bars of the headwat- v
of inflowing streams which
2 in gold-producing might
| be worked at a profit"
t was at the request of north
tern Montana citizens that the
eau undertook the expedition. wa
w. T. Cowan of Hill coun- tin
placed the proposition before thu
bureau of mines and geology, bo'
DR.. Thomson directed Profess ed
Dingman to head the unique We.
1-hunting expedition. The en- ba,
experiment has been followed
h much interest by the people me
Montana. fit