The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1868-01-25
DEVELOPMENTS

There are forty quartz mills erected in
Montana and half dozen others not
yet up. There are $4,000 to IL. 900 leads
recorded. The mills, if they are good
ones, have the capacity TO produce s5,-
000, 900 in bullion per annum from rock
that will average SEQ to the ton Prac-
tical and scientific men unexceptionabIy
bear witness to the value of the ores,
their freedom from the baser metals, and
consequent ease of reduction, and the
belief that in actual mineral wealth
Montana has no equal is freely express
ed by those who have had opportunities
to thoroughly examine the leads of this
Territory and those OF the other most
noted and productive mineral regions of
the continent. Yet, with all this, the
mills generally are not yielding satis-
factory returns 10 their owners. A few
are doing well a few others are running
a portion of the time, the large proper
ton are shut down. We have fifteen
mills in Madison county-three are run
ming, twelve are idle. We are inviting
capital to our Territory. What induce
ments are offered? What explanation
have we to make for the present state OF
affairs, and how long are they to con-
tinue2 The inducements are, fortunes
for those who conduct mining operations
with that prudence, energy, industry,
economy and business tact requisite to
attain success in any other legitimate
branch of industry; the explanation is
that a great number of companies put
their hens to set before they are sure OF
having any eggs to hatch, and il will
continue until years of depression have
overcome us, like Colorado and Idaho.
or there is radical reform in mining
operations. IL is not even one of the re-
mote possibilities that every one of the
$4,000 leads recorded should prove true
veins, rich and large enough TO make a
mining company an unqualified success.
1t is undoubtedly true that there are
veins enough of auriferous and argen-
tiferous rock to make several hundred
mills and furnaces successful TO the
hearts content of those who invest their
money in them. One of the primary
causes of failure in mining operations is
the remoteness of a large proportion o
those who compose the mining com
panies, their total ignorance of the bust
ness, and the consequent detriment they
are almost invariably. not only to the
operations of their managers, if they
have good ores, but to their own in
terests. They are willing to invest larg,
sums OF money at the outset, buy leads
mills, etc but expect immediate returns
and, unless they are received, becom,
discouraged, tie up their purse strings
and finally cease operations. The frs
great requisites are to have quartz, ,
developed lead, of sufiicic mt width. deptl
and richness 10 justify the erection of I
mill upon it, an honest, capable. practi
Cal manager, then n mill suited to tn,
reduction of the kind of ores the lea'
j furnishes. and success is assured. N
company is iustifiable in the erection o
mill until they have sufficiently de
velOped their property to put it beyon,
the possibility of doubt that they hav
quartz to supply it for years. Compsnie
should, in organizing, set apart larg
proportion of their capital to be used il
developing their property. and purchas
or erect no mill until thorough and sys
tematic icdevelopment has established th
value of their leads. The very revers
of this has been the almost unsxceP
tionable rule in quartz operations. Th
prospector discovers a lead and develop
it TO the extent his means will permit
1t needs capital to prosecute it furthel
but Capital, with all its proverbisl pru
dence, takes chances which the practices
miner would not venture upon, and goe
at il reeklessly, investing fortunes in th
. purchase, transportation and erection {
machinery and buildings, and frequent
ly fails of success from the failure of th
| property TO prove up" on further d,
velopment what it promised near th
: surface, and the frequently useless ma
: chinery, which machinists, who are eve
|. on the alert with patents, manage to pail
upon them. oftentiInes against the mo,
urgent entr-aties of those whose exp
rience should entitle their suggestion
to most favorable consideration. Agar
E companies frequently iail, or suffer thr
q years of mismanagement.by by the selectio
! of inexperienced agents TO manage the
e affairs. An honest man, though he
j bearded and buckskinned aud knows \
d drawing room accomplishments, if I