Show railroad reaches properties of boston montana co BY HENRY F CRITT crittenden with the completion this month of the southern montana railroad from divide montana a distance of forty miles to the properties of the boston montana development company at elkhorn beaverhead county montana the opening up of the largest mining property in the southern part of the state will be an accomplished fact ever since 1913 when this company under the leadership of former lt gov william R allen alien of montana secured control of the elkhorn mining district and the french gulch mining district in deer lodge county steady development work has gone company the mining company owns the controlling interest in the railroad some of the claims were worked at a profit as long ago as the late sixties when prospectors brought hither by the rich placer diggings at bannack thirty ivirty miles to the south sought other fields to conquer when gold could no longer be found in the stream beds lack of cheap transportation has handicapped the development until now but with the coming of the railroad the camp known for more than fifty years as possessing wonderful possibilities bids fair to become a small sized butte main tunnel and dump amo at elkhorn EI khorn forward getting the vast properties in shape for the coming of the long heralded railroad the first unit of the railroad the one now finished as far as elkhorn is one of three originally planned by the builders A second will be constructed from the present line on the big hole river to tap the properties located in french gulch and it is later ter planned to build a third section to wisdom on the big hole river seventy miles from divide main objective point reached the main reason forthe for the roads construction fion has been accomplished however in reaching elkhorn there is located a group of t eighty nine lode claims comprising almost 1800 acres of mining ground all of which is either owned outright or under bond and lease ase to the boston montana development A 11 aiza alamy entrance to main tunnel at elkhorn shipments of high grade ore are to commence this month and with the progress of the development work of the past five years the company is in shape to forward from fifty to tons of this ore per day to the smelters shelters sm elters at salt lake city mill construction the construction of a ton mill to treat the low grade ores is to commence at once under the supervision of 0 B hofstrand metallurgical and constructing engineer of salt lake city and should be completed within three or four months the mill of table and flotation type will be built in two ton units one unit to handle the silver lead zinc ores and the other to handle the silver copper ores both of which are found in distinct series of veins on the property the mill will be so constructed that either one or both of the units will be capable of handling either class of ore A ton shipment of bf ore was recently tested by mr hofstrand and produced tons of concentrates recovery values from the concentrates were 1460 in gold in silver 1829 in lead and in copper a total of per ton oi of concentrates the values are figured on present settlement prices for the various ores location of mines the elkhorn properties are located on the massive ranie range of mountains that form the divide between the wise and beaverhead rivers torrey and tent mountain lofty peaks of over foot elevation and whose sides are covered with a dense forest growth have stood for ages as the veritable sentinels of the vast mineral wealth concealed beneath their shadows the entire region is heavily wooded and will furnish an inexhaustible supply of fine mine timbers while the adjacent country abounds in nevel levei failing streams and small lakes providing an abundant supply of water the district is a granite formation and the entire region has suffered from intense fracturing the two principal vein systems one east and west the other northwest and southeast have been caused by the earth movements and both are ore bearing the greatest development has been performed in the idanha workings it is in this property that the two track tunnel of a total length of 2061 feet has been driven on what is known as the 1000 foot level the tunnel exposes the vein system for a distance of 1000 feet and from this level over 2000 feet of crosscutting has been done another tunnel feet long has been driven at the foot level intersecting this idanha vein quite recently the upraise from the 1000 foot level has been completed to the upper workings all the ore lying between 7 M trestle on montana southern railway the two levels will be handled through the main lower working tunnel which will have a capacity of tons a day ten large veins have been encountered in the work done at the present time in the entire property john D kazor the boston geologist who made a vi visit to the property this summer has the following to say with regard to the four most prominent workings 4 a 6 4 4 t KNI S K A scenic spot on the big hole river company sawmill at elkhorn the idanha vein the idanha vein is of great strength and width showing large quantities of milling ore much of this ore being an impregnation in altered granite while the ore streak itself in this vein much of which it is the intention of the company to ship crude over its railroad now being completed I 1 estimated at an average width of from four to ten feet the principal values of this vein are silver and copper the central vein the central vein undoubtedly parallels the idanha and should be cut by the crosscut being driven in the upper tunnel some one in the past has endeavored to open and expose this vein on the surface by ground sluicing off the loose gravel on the side of the mountain and washed a great hole in the loose material making a large excavation fully feet high fifty feet wide and fifty feet deep and has exposed great quantities of float ore some boulders 0 of f ore being fully five feet in diameter it will be very interesting to watch for the results when this vein is crossed by the crosscuts cross cuts from the upper tunnel the values are in silver and lead the park vein the park vein which lies further up the mountain parallel to the central will also be reached in about 1600 feet with the crosscut being driven in the upper tunnel the work done in this vein so far determined shows this the strongest vein of all very wide at the surface cropping in many places and showing fifteen to twenty feet in ore the sulphides sulp hides showing strong at the surface should make an ideal concentrating ore there is a junction on this vein with a cross vein and much ore may be looked for when this point is reached with the crosscut which I 1 figure at the rate they are going will be about four months work the principal values are silver and lead the elkhorn vein the elkhorn is a quartz vein it is a very strong vein beyond the park vein and from which undoubtedly much ore has bee been shipped as far back as the early numerous shafts and open cuts show this vein up but as water was encountered at from work train on montana southern railway thirty to fifty feet the old timers stopped work as they had no means of handling it much second grade ore is still to be seen on the dumps being the culls left after shipping high grade I 1 would estimate this vein at a full ten feet of width and better at places it carries as high in silver as any on the property the property is under the efficient engene alel gl el argement of john D pope a mining with of many years successful connection surrounded big western enterprises who has burrou all in himself with a competent force of men inen equipped is elaw branches of the work the mine mill I 1 the with modern machinery and when door at the is finished and with the railroad IO production product of of the mine completed an era property this P will take place that will stamp gg as one of the most successful in mining development in years |