A Silver Strike Empties Cheney

The Tribune has always been slow to get up cheap mining booms, and does now give the facts of a late rich discovery with no other object than to give what are the facts as can be readily proven by experienced and reliable miners.

For several weeks past we have been informed of the discovery of rich silver prospects discovered in township twenty-five, range thirty-nine, about two miles southwest of Fairweather, in Spokane county and twenty miles from Cheney. Miners have several times expressed their belief that the Fairweather rock was very rich in silver, but until we saw a piece of the rock pass through the crucial test and actually yield a beautiful silver button about a quarter the size of the original rock, did we believe there was anything in it. This we witnessed, with many others, a day or two ago in the hands of L. B. Jewell, a reliable and acknowledged skillful assayer. He pronounces it free milling ore, consisting of sulphurets of silver, which in the nature of things cannot be richer. When first discovered the ledge was about two inches in width, but when visited by a number of parties from Cheney this week, was uncovered about five or six feet in depth, and the ledge about five or six inches in width with every appearance of getting richer and wider as the work progresses. The ledge has been true for over a mile, and locations are being taken three or four miles from the original discovery.

The discovery was first made by J. F. Rice, who, last fall purchased the half of section twenty-nine, township twenty-five. The discovery was made about a month ago, by Mr. Rice, who believed he had a lead mine. Since then excitement has increased until this week it seemed to reach a climax, when our town was almost completely depopulated, and excitement seems to be on the increase. It is now the settled conviction that further developments will result in the discovery of extensive and rich silver mines. — Cheney Tribune.