In 1879, the former superintendent of the Northwest Company, James K. Pardee, organized a new venture to develop the Algonquin lode, Dan Brown's best discovery. Like the Northwest Company, the Algonquin would be financed out of Philadelphia, and, also like the Northwest, the most expensive component would be a dry roasting-pan amalgamation mill, which was depicted in a drawing in Northwest Magazine in 1887 (left). It started up in February of 1880 and ran for several years on rich ore from the upper part of the Algonquin vein. It also processed the first ore from the Granite mine, and the mill served as the "pattern" for the huge stamp mills used to process the Granite ores.
The mill, designed and erected by Thomas Fisher (though there was a lively dispute in the press over how much Mr. M. Carey was involved) had 20 stamps and was supplied by the same firm, Griffith and Wedge, that had built the Alice and Moulton silver mills in Butte. In 1880, Hector Horton, the district's discoverer, lived in Hasmark, the town next to the mill, and was no doubt engaged in the construction as a brick mason.
The Algonquin mill burned on December 31, 1898 and little sign remains of it other than a stone retaining wall (below left, Ted A. photo) and the remnants of a flue and stack (below right, Jim Waldbillig photo).
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| Jo Antonioli at the Algonquin millsite |
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| Dave Harris at the site of the Algonquin mill smokestack |
Hi there- I'm writing a historical fiction novel set in Montana during the 1920s. In my story there's been a murder in a stamp mill, and I'm having a hard time finding the info I need online. So I figure I'd go to the experts. I sure hope you can help me out.
ReplyDeleteHere are a few of my gruesome questions:The particular stamp mill in my book is the Strawberry mill near Pony. I'm trying to label what the gangway is by the wheels that turn the stamps.
Right now the victim is crushed by a stamp, but I can't figure out why the amalgamation table wouldn't have dragged him away. And the gap is very small according to my research (7")- which is a writer's dilemma.
Would it be more plausible for him to have fallen into the ore-bin? How? I have the schematic of the Blake rock-breaker from the diagram below.
Or maybe I'm way off-base here. Any other suggestions for how a man might get murdered by stamp-mill equipment?
Thank you so much for taking the time to consider the questions. I really appreciate your help. Shari
My email is sdecterhirst@gmail.com