Fergus County Democrat. [volume], March 07, 1905, Image 1

About Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919

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Fergus County Democrat.
Vol, I. No. 30
LEWISTOWN, FERGUS COUNTY, MONTANA, TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 1905.
Price 5 Cents.
MAIDEN LIVELY
THIS SUMMER
The Well Known Mining Camp Is in a
Richly Mineralized District in
the Judiths.
MAGINNIS MINE BEING RETIMBERED
Many Additions to Be Made to the
Present Plant and Active Oper
ations Will Soon Start.
The opening up of the Maiden dis
trict generally, and the preparations
now being made for the installation
of a lirst-class plant on the Maginnis
property, recalls to memory the busy
period of that famous camp which
was at one time the principal town of
Meagher county before this section
was cut off with Lewistown as the
capital. Miners and prospectors from
every section of the west headed for
the camp in large numbers; the big
cattle outfits supplied their quota of
visitors and for many years after the
starting of the town in '79 it was
highly prosperous. Money was made
quickly and spent with reckless pro
digality by miners, prospectors and
cowboys. It was a typical western
town and business enterprises of every
description were successfully con
ducted. A movement was set afoot
to segregate what is known as Fergus
county and make Lewistown the
county seat. It succeeded and the
camp to a certain extent lost prestige:
this was in '86 and naturally de
tracted somewhat from the trade of
Maiden. As years weut on some of
the mines suspended operations for
various reasons and the camp was not
so prosperous. The Maginnis and the
Spotted i Horse properties changed
hands several times; ran intermitten
tly and some times at a loss owing to
the primative manner iu which they
were handled. For a number of years
Maiden has been quiet; the old busi
ness houses, once busy marts of
trade, were deserted and public at
tention was turned to later discover
ies. It would seem from present in
dications however that a certain am
ount of prosperity is to again visit
Maiden. The district is certainly de
serving of any good fortune whisn
turns that way, as it is oner- the
most highly mineralized s scions in
the state of Montana. T.'fe lime for
mation with intrusive yophry dykes is
usuall encountered pud the principal
values are in the Ame. The ore as a
general rule is free milling and cy
anide, though there are several excel
lent properties containing ores which
need smelting and concentration for
the extraction of their full values.
Though an old milling district the
mountains in the vicinity of Maiden
are not even thoroughly prospected,
though what properties are owned
are extremely promising and in many
instances rich gold ore i^ encountered
directly under the grass roots. In
several cases, pockets of extremely
rich ore have been encountered and
in fact almost all the vtork accom
plished so far in the entire district
has been done in "gophering" out
these rich pockets and treating the
ore with stamp mills. Several for
tunes have been extracted from the
the vicinity in this manner and in the
most primitive manner. In the old
Maginnis, the ore was windlassed to
the surface by hand aAd what values
could not be saved by the simple pro
cess of running througH the batteries
and passing over the dates, were let
go through to the dui, p. At different
times ore which ran as high as thirty
thousand dollars to the ton has been
taken from the Spotted Horse prop
erty and four or five hundred dollars
is a common assay. It seems almost
incredible tU^t such a rich district
should have*, so long remained idle,
but the fact If that the means used
to operate tl. ie different properties
were so primitive and the systems
used, so lax, the owners often
quit loser in ^pite of the richness of
the properties. Considerable high
grade ore has 1 been shipped from var
ious holdings A n the vicinity of Maiden
ar 'Jjat the p/resent time several good
sli j ments a/re ready for transit, only
waiting unhid the spring opens suf
ficiently to. allow of their transporta
tion' 1 ' 0 the railroad. There is plenty
of gC,'°d coal, lots of available water,
moujotains richly mineralized and
plenl J timber. It would seem that
such a combination would ensure
recognition. A number of deals are
now in progress for the opening up of
various properties in the district and
every indication points to the pros
perity of the camp this summer.
The Maginnis property is situated
but a quarter of a mile to the south
of Maiden, while the Spotted Horse is
just over the divide within a mile of
the town. The Maginnis mine and
plant is one of the oldest properties in
the district and has at various times
well repaid its operators. The ore
encountered is free milling and cyan
ide and so far has been taken out by
means of a net work of drifts and
crosscuts which amount to in the
neighborhood of two and one-half
miles of workings. A 160 foot shaft
which has been operated by means of
a primitive windlass, is about the only
sinking that has been indulged in and
it is correct to say that the property
has never been given a fair show as
far as development is concerned. The
surface ores have been encountered in
small pockets and limited bodies and
these have been extracted by means
of a system of gouging out which
shows a very primitive system of min
ing.
Values to the extent of $7,000 to
the ton have been obtained aud at
the present time ores in sight on the
Discovery claim run as high as $400.
The property at present is being oper
ated by the Globe-Maginnis Mining
Co., under the supervision of E. H.
Crabtree. Among those interested
are Ralph Dome and J. H. South
worth of New York. A considerable
amount of ore has already been
shipped this spring at a good profit,
while during the cleaning up of the
workings a supply of ore has been
trammed to the dump which will run
from $8 to $25 in gold. The workings
are being retimbered and the lining
in the old shaft is being renewed,
This entails a lot of work but is very
probable that active operations will
commence by April 1st.
Owing to the fact that the full val
ues cannot be obtained by the old ten
stamp mill now on the ground, prepa
rations are being made to put in a cy
anide plant in connection. It is pro
posed to treat the ore by both meth
ods. A system of agitation will be in
stalled: possibly the Hendricks sys
tem which also alows the use of elec
tricity in precipitation. In order to
prevent a detrimental sedimentation
of the ore matter, it will not be put
through the fine rolls, but crushed
sufficiently to allow of its falling
through a one-eighth inch screen into
-lie leaching tanks, from there the
ore will be taken to the stamps and
the residue run over the plates in
order to catch what free gold lias es
caped the electrical precipitation and
the cyanide solution.
Arrangements are being made to
put in a gasoline hoist to work the
shaft and it is thought that the cyan
ide plant and neccessary machinery
will be on the ground by May 1st.
At present there are fifteen men at
work on the property and the work is
being pushed as rapidly as possible.
There are values in all the workings
which is thoroughly demonstrated
by the ore which is being brought to
the dump every day from the clean
ing up of the old drifts and there is
not the slightest doubt but that the
property will pay under the thorough
treatment to which the ore will be
subjected. Joseph llruelotte, a prac
tical mining man, is acting in the ca
pacity of mine foreman.
A deal is now pending for the ac
quisition of the Spotted Horse prop
erty by the Federal Gold Mines Co.,
and as very favorable reports have
been sent in by their expert, it is
more than proboble that it will be
completed. This valuable property
was discovered in '81 by Joseph An
derson and Dave Snow, who operated
it with an arastra. A. W. McAdow
held an interest. The operation was
not a success and when the property
was attached and sold for the benefit
of the creditors, Clara McAdow of
White Sulphur Springs was the pur
chaser. The old ten stamp mill from
the Collar Gulch property was moved
to the Spotted Horse mine and it was
operated with success by P. W. Mc
Adow under the management of
Adam Sager. In '87 the Jay Gould
Mining Co., secured a bond and lease
on the property, erected a new mill
and operated but did not make a suc
ces of it and threw up the lease. Mr.
McAdow again took hold until it was
sold to the consolidated Double Eagle
Miuing Co., of Illinois, who ran it for
one year under the management of
John W. Provard. This gentleman
was very successful, but it is the gen
eral opinion that the company did not
reap the benefits. The property was
again sold at sheriff's sale and bought,
presumedly by the Bank of Fergus
County. John L. Bright next took
hold of the property, but it again re
verted to the bank. Bird & McCor
mick of Salt Lake purchased it and
operated the property until bonded to
A. S. Wright & Co. Though the mine
has been operated for so long a time
and several fortunes have been ex
tracted from it, but little work, com
paratively speaking, has been accom
plished. It is in reality only yet a
prospect. Pockets of rich ore have
been found which ran as high as
$110,000 in gold to the ton and three or
four hundred dollars is a common as
say. The ore is so rich that one of
the greatest difficulties in the opera
tion of the mine is the fact that it
was so easily robbed. During the
working of the mine by Bird & Mc
Cormick, $14000 ore was found on the
sixth level. The old stamp mill was
entirely consumed by lire three years
ago. The shipping of the richer ore
has been carried on with financial suc
cess. There is undoubtedly an im
mense fortune in the old mine yet,
providing that it was operated with
an up-to-date plant. The tailings of
the Spotted Horse have been worked
with success by several parties
amongst whom was Harry Kendall
who made considerable money in that
manner.
Victor Landoc owns a good property
adjacent to the Spotted Horse and
has accomplished in the neighborhood
of 1000 feet of development work on
the ground with very satisfactory re
sults.
Henry Willard has a very promis
ing cyanide prospect a short distance
from the Maginnsss ground and the
entire district seems to be highly
mineralized.
On the ridge dividing Maiden and
Alpine gulch are located several good
properties which are being developed
continually. The formation is very
broken though the ore bodies are of
considerable extent. The Black Bull
property, now known as the Globe,
carries high grade gold ores and is be
ing developed by the Globe-Maginiss
mining Co. A large quantity has
been shipped from this property in
the past with profit to the operators.
A four hundred foot tunnel has lately
been completed. This vicinity seems
to be very prolific in lead carbonates
and on the War Eagle property some
extremely high grade gold carrying
lead ores have been discovered. The
old tunnel runs in the neighborhood
of 400 feet and in the ore. The main
part of the work is being accomplished
in the vicinity of the former shaft.
J. L. Stewart of Lewistown is work
ing the property at present.
J. S. Warn owns some very likely
looking claims a short distance below
the War Eagle. The property is
known as the Little Johnny group
and some very fair assays have been
received from the silver ores extracted
from the workings. This property
with other claims at the mouth of
Alpine were under a bond to Conrad
& Burgess of Great Falls. Directly
west of Maiden and only a few hun
dred yards from the town is situated
the Alpine claim owned by P. J. Mc
Adow. Considerable work lias been
accomplished on this prospect with
satisfactory results and in all proba
bility active operations will again be
resumed in the spring under the di
rection of Adam Sager, McAdow's
old foreman. The gold bearing quartz
ore is encountered in almost everty
property in this district: in some,
only iu small pockets while in others
in good sized bodies.
One fact speaks well for the camp
and that is, that the old timers who
have owned prospects there for years,
still work on with a serene confidence
that the camp will again experience
the prosperity it deserves. Tnere is
no doubt but that the ore is there
aud highly mineralized; what is
needed is capital to thoroughly de
velop and exploit the various good
prospects that are now at a standstill
owing to the fact that the owners are
not sufficiently well fixed to operate
them.
Situated in Collar gulch on the
north side of Crystal mountain is the
property owned by Beilis Bros. The
holding consists of three groups; the
Big Horn, Reliance and the Lee Star.
A four hundred foot tunnel has been
run on to the Big Horn witn a view
to tapping the contact. A three foot
vein of lead matter assaying $7 in gold
has been cut and the indications are
very promising. Almost foot for foot
was gained in running the tunnel and
a depth of 385 feet has been obtained.
This work is being done directly un
derneath tlie apex of the mountain
whereon is situated the old Florence
mine from which shipping ore is being
procured. The reliance is situated a
(Continued on page four.)
COUNCIL ASKED
EOR FRANCHISE
A Proposed Franchise for the Es
tablishment of an Independent
System in the City.
THE HOMELESS DOGS MIST GO
City Marshall Instructed to En
force the Ordinance Relating
to Bum Canines.
At the meeting of the city council
last evening there were present:
Mayor, Symmes; Aldermen, Laux,
Brown, Littlejohn and Binkley. The
meeting was called to order at nine
o'clock, the minutes were read and a
short discussion ensued as t o the ad
visability of granting franchise to t he
various petitioners before the board.
The first communicat ion read by the
clerk in this matter was, from the
Lewistown-Billings Mutual Telephone
Co., who asked that they might be al
lowed to establish a telephone system
in the city with a central exchange
as headquarters for their long dis
tance line between this city and Bil
lings, and to establish a competing
system in the city.
The Hon. David Hilger, president
of the company, made a short address
to the council on the matter and
stated in very concise terms, the ul
timate aims and object of the concern.
The line is an independent one said
Mi- Hilger and will be a benefit to
the city, as it will have a tendency to
lower prices and insure better service
to the public by reason of competi
tion. It will also furnish direct com
munication between Lewistown and
BUlings, Helena, Dillon, Benton and
other points which are now readied
by an expensive and roundabout route.
The placing of the matter before
the voters of the city was discussed
at length and a motion was made to
submit the consideration of the peti
tion to an investigating committee
who were instructed to meet with
members of the company aud to re
port at a special meeting of the coun
cil tonight.
The petition fora railroad franchise
by the Judith Milling Co., was also re
ferred to a committee, who were in
structed to view the premises of tiie
proposed extension and report at the
special meeting.
In regard to these petitions some
mention was made by members of the
board and also by the mayor in regard
to consideration allowed to the city in
return for proposed franchise.
The Judith Hardware petitioned
the city council to allow them to
build a stone addition to their ware
house, the matter was referred to
the building committtee with full
power to act. The clerk produced a
deed made out to city by Robert
Jackson and wife in which the reser
voir site and rightawav were deeded
to the city.
The repairing of tiie Stafford build
ing on Main street was discussed and
referred to the building committee.
The bids on the pile bridge on Bras
sey street were opened. One bid for
$2<m.20 was made by S. I). Anderson,
while the other by \V. B. Lorenz was
put in for $190.00. In both bids a
stipulation was made that tiie city
should furnish the pile driver. The
street and alley committee were in
structed to look into the matter and
report as soon as possible.
o. W. Belden on behalf of tiie trus
tees of tiie Presbyterian church, ad
dressed the board at some length on
tiie subject of the sewerage system
which had been installed by the city
and connected with tiie basement of
tiie church. Tiie bill of tiie work
bad lieen presented by the city, but as
as the work was not done as agreed,
payment was not made. Tiie city
threatens to sell property belonging to
tiie church to secure payment and M r.
Belden asked that a thorough investi
gation might be made ere further
steps were taken. A motion was made
and seconded that tiie mayor appoint
some engineer to thoroughly examine
tiie system at that point and report,
it is claimed by the church board
that the grade is higher than was
stipulated in the original contract
and will not allow of the drainage of
the basement. The allowing of var
ious crossings was inquired into and
the ordering of a sidewalk in the vi
cinity of the old Fort house was dis
cussed.
City Marshall Belib reminded the
city council of the advisability of es
tablishing a dog pond and wanted to
build one near tiie city hall. Some of
the residents of that neighborhood
who were present st renuousl.v objected
to tiie night being turned into a
period of hideous revelry by numerous
hobo dogs and suggested that the
marshall take all dogs caught by 1dm,
to some quiet spot in the nearest, wil
derness. The marshall was author
ized to indulge in a small expenditure
In order to enforce the dog ordinance
and instructed to clear the city of all
dogs who had lost their home.
The proposed ordinance for the ex
tension of the fire limits one block
each way was read, but, owing to
some discrepancy in the discript ion,
was t urned back for correct ion.
An adjournment was made until to
night when a special meeting will lie
held.
GILT EDGE BREVITIES.
F. A. Barnes was in Maiden last
Saturday.
II. C. McEvony was iu town last
Thursday.
John White of Maiden was in Gilt
Edge last Friday.
James Murphy and Mr. Limbach
were down from Whiskey Gulch
Thursday.
David Scott was quite busy several
days last week assisting the boys in
getting their papers out to levy on
property at the mill.
When Miss Bates was returning
from the Gold Reef last Saturday she
lost her gold watch, but was fortunate
enough to find it, tiie next day.
Tiie services at the church last Sun
day evening continued from 7 to 12 p.
m. Five hours will tire (lie strongest
and the reaction sometimes proves
disastrous.
Miss Bates of Lewistown lias been
in Gilt Edge several days and while
here gave several interesting and en
tertaining lectures specially for tiie
children.
L. B. Shelton, the Methodist minis
ter from Beaver Creek, was in Gilt
Edge over Sunday and preached in
the forenoon, lie has many friends
here and always meets wit h a hearty
welcome.
Whiskey Gulch lias the appearance
of an eastern town on Sunday when
everybody had gone to church, but it
must be remembered t hat Sunday sel
dom visits a mining camp, and if it
does tiie stay is short and soon for
gotten.
Last Wednesday there was heard on
t lie streets the beating of a bass drum,
the rattling of a tambourine and tiie
picking of a banjo. Singing soon re
placed tiie music, and it was excel
lent, although the facial expression
was such that hearing was better
than seeing. There was one gentle
man and two ladies, and whence they
came or whither they went is yet a
mystery, as they remained here but a
half hour.
News reached this city today of the
burning of W. C. Bell'sdwellinghouse
near Alpine. Tiie origin of the tire
lias not yet been learned but the loss
was total includig not only the house
but all of the contents. There was
no insurance on eat her house or con
tents. Mr. Bell can ill afford sucli a
serious loss and he has tiie sympathy
of numerous neighbors and friends in
his misfortune.
On Feb. 15, tiie regular pay day at
the Whiskey Gulch mill, tiie men
were informed that they would not lie
paid, but, on March 1 they would pay
for the two months then due. When
March'.l came there was no money in
sight. The men held a meeting, but
nothing definite was decided upon.
There being a large amount of per
sonal property available, they com
menced attaching until all such prop
erty is covered by attachments. To
our knowledge no effort has as yet
been made to adjust matters. While
many of the best miners claim there
is a large amount of good ore in sight,
yet why t lie men were not paid re
mains a mystery. It is not our inten
tion to censure any one, yet some
things look very st range. I ft he prop
erty did not, pay, why were tiie men
not informed before' And if it does
pay, they should get their money.
There seems but little doubt but that
the property is very valuable if prop
erly handled. It is to be hoped that
the matter will soon be straightened
out, for now it casts a gloom over tiie
whole town.
Card of Thanks.
The undersigned wishes to express
his sincere thanks to the Odd Fel
lows' lodge and all others who so
kindly assisted at the initial of his
brother, the late II. B. Morrison.
C. B. Morrison,
Spokane, Wash.
NO PAY DAY AT
WHISKEY GULCH
Attachments for a Large Amount Is
Placed on the Property of
the Company.
MILL WAS OPERATED UNDER LEASE
No Satisfactory Reason Given for the
Trouble by the Eastern
Owners.
The .promiee of a payday al Whis
key Gulch on the first of the month
was not fulfilled, and in consequence
11 ic plant is shut down and the prop
erly is subjected to labor liens to the
amount of eight or ten thousand dol
lars.
The first attachment; was filed by
the foreman, James Murphy tor $2,
067.00 wages due and the total of ac
counts turned over to him for col
lection. The remainder of Die claims
were filed wit h the sheriff as personal
claims. On Saturday the court is
sued an order allowing David Scott
to make a cleanup of the gold in tiie
zinc boxes and on Monday Mr. Scott
returned to Lewistown with 163j
ounces of bullion. In all probability
a second order or did court will be
issued for the purpose of sending tiie
bullion away to lie refined and turned
into cash. The result ing amount will
lie placed to the credit of the clerk of
the court pending a set tlement.
The mill it, is believed, is owned by
C. C. Bragg of Clncinnat ti and is only
leased by tin* present, operators and
therfore will not he subject to attach
ment. The property itself, the tools'
and appliances arc under attachment,
as is also the result since the last
cleanup. The property itself is be
lieved by some of tiie most, experienced
mining men of this section, to be a
good one and only in need of develop
ment, to he a paying proposition.
There is a rumor to t he effect that a
strike of good ore was made during
the last day operations were con
ducted. The reported find is iu tiie
main tunnel at, the point where the
crosscutting operations were being
conducted.
The Chicago-Montana Mines Co.,
tiie owners and operators of tiie prop
erty consists of: Judge G. M. Nelson
of St. Raul, C. F. Wenliam of Chicago,
A. S. Wright, F. E. Wright, Gus
Rmizler, A. J. Stephens, II. C. Mc
Evony and a number of minor share
holders wlio own small blocks of
stock in tiie enterprise. No word lias
been received from the eastern own
ers and it lias not yet been decided
whet her to put tiie property In the
hands of a receiver or to allow it to
he put up at sheriff's sale for tiie lien
elit of t he creditors. The cleanup of
bullion will amount to in the neigh
borhood of $.5000 if it, averages any
where near tiie usual degree of fine
ness. The local stockholders are ab
solutely helpless as there is no means
of getting together a quorum for tiie
purpose of taking any action and there
seems to be no satisfactory explana
t ion from tiie east .
Tiie property itself is located in one
of the best mining districts iu tiie
state and only a week ago tiie Dem
ocrat representative was assured by
Mr. Durell, tiiegeneral manager, that,
he did not aprehend any scarcity of
ore or that the mill would have to
close down on that account.
bandTeneeit concert
Musically Inclined People of the City
Will entertain
Tiie Lewistown hand assisted by a
full orchestra and tiie best of local
music talent, will give a concert at
Culver's hall Monday evening, March
20tli The hand boys are practicing
from t wo to three times weekly ana
expect to give the best musical pro
gram ever heard in this city. Tiie
concert is for tiie benefit of the
band which lias been formed. The
organization, especially in the winter
season, does not receive sufficient, sup
port from tiie public to make it worth
the while of the boys to practice and
go to the expense of getting instru
ments but 1 be individual interest
which tiie leader N. L. DuClos lias
aroused lias been sufficient to keep tiie
hand intact.
Tiie people of the city should turn
out fin goodly numbers at tiie concert
and thereby show appreciation of an
organization which contributes to tiie
pleasure of all. if tiie band receives
tiie necessary support, open air con
concerts will ins given weekly during
the summer months. Lewistown is
large enough to support a band and
since one lias been started, a lack of
appreciation on the part of the pub
lic should not permit it to go to pieces.
Prepare to attend the concert.