IDAHO COUNTY AND NORTHERN IDAHO. The quartz mines of Warren's camp appear to have made but little progress toward steady production, though there has been considerable activity in prospecting. My correspondent, Mr. Richard Hurley, an assayer of long experience, and a gentleman well acquainted with the mines of Northern Idaho and the Upper Columbia, writes concerning this camp under date of February 4, 1871: "All that I have to say at present is that the quartz mines which are now worked are paying well, averaging some $50 to the ton in gold, and the silver ledges averaging about $85 to the ton. They did not commence working till last October, so I cannot give much detailed information concerning them. I have assayed since that time about $10,000 from quartz, mostly obtained by prospecting merely on the different ledges. The prospects at this camp are very flattering. For the year ending June 1, 1870, Mr. Hurley reported the sum assayed at $2,500. The average yield of the placer claims reported from Idaho County was $5 90 per day per hand, wages being about $2 25. Washington district contains a number of claims which produced in the neighborhood of $10,000 each during the season of four or five months. In Florence district, the yield of single claims seems not to have exceeded $6,000. My correspondent at Lewiston reports the yield of the northern camps. to have been about the same as usual. Shoshone County still maintains a considerable production in hydraulic as well as placer mining. The aver age.yield of twelve hydraulic claims reported was 86 to $10 per day per hand, the average wages being $50 per month. Mr. W. Shepherd, and Messrs. Campbell, Black & Co. have the largest claims, each producing over $10,000. The average yield from eighty-eight placer-claims was $2 80 per day per hand. Most of these claims were worked by owners, paying no wages. The average yield of a few claims paying wages at the rate of $40 per month was $6 63 per day per hand. The total product of the eighty-eight claims was a little over $300,000; but this constitutes only a portion of the actual yield of the county. LOON CREEK. At the Loon Creek placer-mines, situated about one hundred and twenty-five miles northeast of Idaho City, (see my last report, page 251,) about two hundred men have been at work. The extent of the diggings is about four miles along the creek. Being so near the mountain snows, this stream is subject to freshests and high water, which delay the commencement of the working season till about the 1st of July, except in dry years. Hence the production of such camps begins after work in the basin has well nigh ceased. The gold of Loon Creek is reported to be of fine quality, worth $17 per ounce. CHAPTER V. MONTANA. I had intended to visit this Territory personally during last summer, but the unavoidable delay in the public printing office in the publication of my last report detained me at the East until late in the fall, when cold weather had already set in in Montana. The present chapter contains such imperfect statistics as I have gathered from correspondents and other reliable sources during last year. It is a notable fact that many of the placer and hydraulic claims have not been enabled to keep up operations for more than a few months, the excessive drought which existed on the Pacific coast having extended into Montana. Still a large number of them have yielded excellently, and higher than the majority of the mines of this class in other States and Territories. The quartz mines, it appears, have not done as well as in former years, less of them being in actual operation. But the influence of reduced freight, owing to the Union Pacific Railroad, is beginning to be felt, and preparations which will materially increase the product of Montana are in progress. It is also notable that less speculation, and comparatively more bona fide mining, is the order of the day; and the enterprises of the latter class progress cautiously, and in a manner which shows that the present miners have largely profited from the experience of the past. I estimate the product of Montana for 1870 at $9,100,000, as follows: Shipped overland per express. Overland, in private hands $4,800,000 2, 000, 000 800,000 1,500,000 9, 100, 000 Although the governor of the Territory, in a recent letter, (February 17, 1871,) has given the bullion product as $12,000,000, I am still inclined to consider the above estimate more correct, though it may be somewhat lower than the facts will warrant. The exact sura is more difficult to ascertain than the product of any other Territory. The very high rate charged by the express company for the transportation of bullion, and the fact that most of the product is gold dust, lead to a heavy undervaluation of bullion by shippers, (from 25 to 30 per cent.,) and an extraordinary amount of transportation in private hands. The latter item is estimated by the express agents at half the product of the Territory. The invoiced amount shipped by express via Ogden and Corinne during the year was $3,937,720, representing an actual shipment of at least $1,800,000. The lowest estimates. I have received in regard to the other routes justify me in crediting them with the amounts above named. As the cost of freight from the railroad on 18,000,000 pounds of supplies hauled during the year amounted to $2,700,000, and the wages paid to miners in the Territory continued to be very high, it is difficult to conceive how the product of the industry of the mining population could have been less than the estimate here given. DEER LODGE COUNTY. The gold product of this county during 1870 is estimated by the New Northwest, a well-known local paper, at $4,000,000. Though this estimate is possibly slightly exaggerated, it cannot be very far from the real product. Placer-mining and hydraulic mining have both been very successful, though actively carried on only a part of the year. To the two hundred and eighty miles of ditches, carrying 20,000 inches of water, many more have been added; and some of the new ditches, as the Upper and Lower Race track, Cable and Butte, will, when completed, open up extensive and rich new mines. The census reports, giving data for the year ending June 1, 1870, enumerate one hundred and ninety-five placer-claims, but this number does not cover nearly all of them. In these claims, however, nine hundred and ninety men found employment during an average of about four months, receiving average wages of $115 per month. The placers reported are located in Washington and Lincoln Gulches; Silver Bow, Butte, Rocker, Jefferson, Blackfoot, Beartown, Bear, Elk, and Deep Gulches; French and German Gulches; Henderson, Cariboo, Modesty, and Dry Gulches. The total yield of all these claims is reported at $1,170,865, and the average yield per day per hand was $12 09. The more prominent claims, as far as the product is concerned, are the following: Lincoln Flat Company, Lincoln Gulch, twenty men employed Discovery Company, Lincoln Gulch, five men employed.. Egleson & Co., Lincoln Gulch, ten men employed six months. $34,000 12,000 15, 000 20, 000 10,000 24,000 50,000 11, 600 10,000 13, 500 10,000 10,000 12,000 50,000 Maxey & Co., Blackfoot. five men employed five months... Smith & Co., five men employed seven months. Hiland & Co., five men employed eight months.. Wurger & Co.,* six men employed eight months.. 30,000 55, 000 10, 000 11, 250 12,000 20,000 18, 000 10,000 Morse & Co., fourteen men employed five months.. 12,000 30,000 12,000 *These claims are reported as in Bear, Elk, and Deep Gulches. Which gulch contains each claim I cannot say.-R. W. R. Beal & Harris, German Gulch, fifteen men employed one and a half months. Gardner & Stone, German Gulch, twelve men employed two months.. McCling & Co., German Gulch, twelve men employed two Funel & Co., Henderson Gulch, five men employed six months. Sullivan & Co., Modesty and Dry Gulch, three men employed $12,000 10,000 10,000 12,000 18,000 12,000 11, 000 Of hydraulic claims, twenty-six are reported, employing two hundred and fifty men during six months on an average, and at average wages of $130 per month. The total product of these is given at $530,000, which shows an average of $13 47 per day per hand. The following claims gave the highest yields: Roberts, Fly & Co., employing six men five months $10,000 50,000 70,000 100,000 15,000 45,000 14,000 18,000 20,000 15,000 12,000 12,000 13,000 12,500 9,000 12,000 10,000 15,000 12, 500 25,000 Chang-Ling Company, employing seven men six months Of over fifteen hundred quartz lodes recorded in the county very few have been in successful operation. The census reports only six claims, employing sixty-six men during an average of 3.1 months. Of these the St. Louis and Montana Mining Company ran their mill during one and a half months, and produced a little over $7,000; the Only Chance worked eight arrastras during five months, and produced 1,700 ounces of gold, worth $37,000; and the Highland Gold Company at Blackfoot produced $2,645. All these statements refer to the year ending June 1, 1870. Later in the year the Stuart Mill (belonging to the St. Louis Company) was reported as doing a successful business under the management of Captain George Plaisted. Twelve tons per day were crushed at the time with satisfactory results. The Cable lode (probably the Atlantic Cable) is reported in active operation again. Mention of this magnificent lode was made in my last report. The former wasteful mode of mining seems to have given way to systematic working. In July Mr. Cameron, the superintendent, employed some fifty men about the mill and mine. But two clean-ups had been made since the hoisting works were put in operation; but the amount of ore in sight warranted the belief that there is no cause to apprehend that the mill would again be compelled to lie idle for the want of quartz. The company continued work in the mine regularly, and in September work was being carried on day and night. The company was sinking the main shaft, opening up lower levels and taking out quartz. The main shaft was then down 150 feet. Ninety-three feet from the surface a tunnel leaves the main shaft for the upper level, a distance of 400 feet. The ledge at the thickest part is over 50 feet, and by far the most of the ore pays well. The rock is nearly all stoped out in the upper level. The mill was expected to run regularly before the 1st of October. The main shaft is intended to be sunk until it intersects the ledge, when large quantities of quartz will be ready to be taken out. A good engine for hoisting and pumping is on the ground, and works splendidly. The Miners and Mechanics' Tunnel, near the vein just mentioned, was also actively prosecuted, and since the middle of the summer the rock has been much softer than formerly, so that quicker progress could be made. It was expected in August that the ledge would be struck soon, but I have not had any information in regard to it since then. The company, which is a coöperative one, the shareholders being working-men, deserves ample success for its persevering energy. They have carried on their work steadily for nearly three years without aid from others. A number of other mines are mentioned by my informants as giving good results during the year, but I am not informed as to the continuity of their operations. Among these the silver mine of Mr. H. Beck, on the Big Hole River, the mine of Day & Harvey, and the Dixie lode, belonging to Parker & Dickey, seem to be very promising. The last is a gold lode, carrying free gold in quartz, which is reported to be worth $45 per ton. The ore is worked in an arrastra. The Trout mine, belonging to the Cole Saunders Gold and Silver Mining Company, is a valuable lode, and the late vicissitudes of the company seem to have been effectually settled at last. The Independent published in the fall the following in regard to this mine: The "Trout" is a seven-foot lode, crossing the strata of limestone country rock at right angles. It is developed on the surface a distance of 1,000 feet. The upper level, 50 feet below the surface, and in 45 feet from the main shaft, shows a 74-foot lode, and a richer quality of rock than upon the surface. The lower level, 85 feet from the surface, shows a still better quality of rock. There are some three hundred tons of ore on the dump, roasted and ready for the furnace. The smelters consist of three furnaces and a cupeling furnace, with steam-power. The trouble hitherto has been the want of galena for fluxing. A small supply was lately procured, and satisfactory tests have been made with a small furnace of 1 foot interior diameter, and 9 feet from the tuyéres to discharge-hole. The furnace is now running finely, and yielding about one-half ton of metal (worth $700 per ton) every twenty-four hours. On September 10 the employés of the mine, members of the company, creditors, &c., met at the office of the company for the purpose of agreeing upon the conditions of a settlement. After fully discussing the conditions of the proposed settlement, a lease containing substantially the following conditions was agreed upon: The Cole Saunders Silver Concentrating Company lease to Henry Schnepel, as agent of the employés, two of the furnaces and the 50-foot level of the Trout mine, together with all the ore cn the dump, said Schnepel to furnish two hundred tons of galena for fluxing, and all supplies until the employés are paid off. Said lease to remain in force until the objects named are accomplished. The Cole Saunders Company retain their lower level and the main shaft, which will be kept running vigorously. They also retain one furnace for their own use and benefit. Matters are thus now placed on a permanent basis for regular operations. The capital furnished by Mr. Schnepel will relieve Cole Saunders of his financial embarrassments, and enable him to continue running the one furnace steadily on the company's account. Cole Saunders, in building and perfecting these works, has accomplished wonders, considering the obstacles against which he had to contend. Mr. Schnepel, the lessee of the |