WEST SHORE.
9
TDK OKEAT OPHIR BELT, OP IDAHO.
of il.e great frw gold n'1 l,,llrer Inln''" near Kxky Bar'
MaU, Ang'i.t Q'liiw, M. K., thai writes in the Elmore Bui
lt; TU ophlr ri.lt, ownl nl operated by the Comfort Con
Mlf!tUl Mining Company, of New York city, i Bitaated
n-itili tt'" M llardprrabbl placer mines and Awut two
,.! n-rthea't-rly from the loin of Rocky Bar. This lode
ti t t-wn I avl and relocated by different parties, who were
wiiIkkiI Ihe nrctunry means to develop the projie'ty, and al
Ih'xigh well aatictVd that millions acre there, they were forced
l-y nrrmintanii to abandon the claim, hence the Comfort
(Vm-li'Utl Mining Company have the honor of developing
iU flrM bullion producer on Iho Ophir Itelt, simply because
),ry rf ilir f!rt and only party that was ablo to couple good
j't'ltfrtiTit ith the reoimt capital. Fortune has smiled upon
ihrin, and Ihe- outlay of a few thousand d l'urs has rewarded
tl.cm itli a well defined vein of ore, six feet in width, milling
frm V'tlt lo) t ton. A fair CHtimvte of the value of the
j'urif.o in sight would riot I less than $1,500,000. Last
ft!) (Mt 'otn cany wai o m ell satisfied with the developments
made l-y tU MiiriiiU-ndent, Mr. Meve Oglesby, that they re
hil in rrrr I a mill, although winter was staring them in the
fa. An Improved I'rater A Chilmers twenty-stamp mill, with
alarg double-drum hointing plant, two (lolden Oateconcen
n', aid a three compartment working shaft are in 0era
tern. TU Impire lode, situated north of, parallel with and adja
crnt luil.(.liir, ie fveiy promise of becoming equally as
u!utll at ll renowned neighbor.
Ut fall, wl.il on a prtfpecling tour in Central Idaho, the
writrrhtd the pl.-aMir of tnMing Majjr Comfort at rVmon
meadows. The nr, tether with StiH'rinU'ndent Oglesby
an I furtryor Toane, were on their way to survey some placT
Uaiioi.tat iho tmnhraM rn end of Ixjng valley, on Boulder
irtk, t'.i. rimniy. The, placer were found and worked by
','Ul.y a. early as N.t. H.uhes were built and water
bMift.t t..,n Ihem, but iho Indians looming tronblefome, he
w, Uv i P,. Tl.ey have lately been re lxated and sold
c 'l'ny. Aft, r a thorough eiamination, the
.rrrt wrte ,r; ,,;, lh
'ehdioo.n.ifu.tthe nm.aa.ry limes, ditches, and hydraulic
m.l.i..rr t. ..,fully work iheir ground this coming
11" J , faeniy Nations, w.th an area of 400 acres,
. 1 . l,,y .ill ,cet mill, a, gw ,uoml lhere M u
' tl .ky ..r ., llwir m
mwl,v .rM,p,f4uve ,1(t ,MTn niorerxUmsively wo.ked
t. U,.. The ground dors not afford lullicient fa I for a
- P. an 1 a.,h known to U rnh, the ol 1-faahioned miner
Ul , mr.r,, 0t,, ,;, n.t, rtinpany has ae-
. . . , ,akf( lnt!lMnount4ini;
? I l.r v,w,. and IntrnJ to work with hydraulic ele-
0,,rw' Jvrrvd a tl defined and val.
uable mineral belt, which we traced through the mounUim lor
a distance of 12,000 feet. The average width of this loi a
about five feet. Al ng the foot wall for about fifteen inthea tin
ore assays f 33.15 gold and $12.25 silver; the balance of they,
is strongly impregnated with chlorides, assaying 101 ooncea of
silver per ton. The surrounding country is heavily timbered
with pine, fir and tamarack, as j et untouched by the woodman1!
ax ; water and grass, with game of all kinds, abound hcnHa
fact, this country is the hunter's paradise and prospector1! re
alization. Your correspjndent, while returning from the mountain!
again met the surveyor and his party, with theoJolits, cbia
and staff", surveying and marking the boundaries of the rkh
placer bonanzas, while Major Comfort with a force of workmen
had sunk about thirty shafts to bedrock and was fillingaimasj
different sacks with the golden gravel for shipment to Net
York. This gravel I am informed yielded far greater rwul'i
than was expected and demonstrated beyond a doubt the re
markable richness of this property. When it is considered
that this ground is midway between two of the richest pUctr
fields ever discovered in Idaho, viz: Florence and Warrenioo
the north and Boise basin on the south, the result! obtained
from the gravel tested are not at all surprising.
Referring again to the mines near Rocky Bar, I will call at
tention to a mountain range, in which many rich profperti
have been discovered, and which contains within itrdffthi
the famous Mountain Goat, so successfullj worked by Mijor
Frank P. Cavanah. As you ascend this mountain from the
soutli, at a point about 1000 feet north of the town of Baky
Bar, you will find the Birdie Q mine, which has been worked
quite extensively during the hut two years by Messri. Va
Kchaick and Quituw, the owners. They have sunk an India
on this lode to the depth of seventy-five feet, and made connec
tion with the Fame by means of a tunnel lr0 feet long drirea
from the east end. The quartz taken from this incline anJ tan
nel milled twenty-five dollara per ton. Tuis loJo is fully thr
feet In width and can be traced on the surface for nearly
whole length of the claim. West of the above claim and iJ
Joining it, is the1 Mountain Chief lode, the cropping! of alkh
are from one to six feet in width, and propecta well ta w
gold. Aside from the annual assessment work reuiired by U.
little has been done on this claim. There b no doubt but tU
. with a judicious outlay of a moderate amount of capital a bkd
could be opened lecond in value to none in the amp. Ttii
property is al?o owned by Quitzow and Van rchM
up the mountain to the northwest is the Duncan mine. r-J
lode has been cut through by tunnel and drifted opon by cro
cuts from the same, showing a good lode but very ktt-u
uncertain, demonstrating the fact that this work hai bfl J
too near the surface. Were the owners of the mine too -upon
the lode at some point where the same U w
tunnel, they would be rewarded for their troulla and ey-
The Idaho Consolidated Gold and Silver MiningCa.d : .
York City, are the owners of the North Pacific,
en Calf, Goleonda and San Jose-five patented claims yir :
n .u u Oi.hir on tine"
Quite an amount of money lias been expended by to"Jfjrf ,
m( . i;;n tn warrant the tTt&w1
fined and val- to get thi property In a condition to warrant th