Idaho semi-weekly world. (Idaho City, Boise County, Idaho Territory) 1867-1868, 1868-05-02
THE STATESMAN ON BOISE BASIN.

For some motiYe which We cannot divine,
the Boise City STATESMAN has lately sought to
misrepresent and depreeiate the placer mines
|of Boise Basin. Iusits issue of last Tuesday
|itsnys that the diggings here rare growing old,
and are wearing out and are owned by resi-
dents who do d large share Of their own work =
and again: 1T is not to be wondered ut that
the placer mines of the Basin do not continue
TO furnish profitable employment for all tho
regular annual immigration Of miners" And
in the issue Of Thursday the Statesman gives
another paragraph, calculated to detrimentally
effect the mining reputation and general bust
ness interests of Boise Basin.
Now, we have this to say in vindication of
the placer mines of this Basn-that there is
not known at this time, anywhere. q section of
mining country, of the extent Of our mining
region here, which pays so probably, or yields
SO large an aggregate product of gold, as this
same Boise Basin. The diggings throughout
this whole extent of country pay ut this day
from twice to four times as much as do any
other diggings that can be named, and there IS
good ground enough yet untouched to give ex.
ceedingly profitable labor for years, to say
nothing of the vast proportionate extent of the
diggings already opened and worked, but which
are very far from exhausted. Certainly. as
mines are worked for years they grow older
and wear away; but it by no means follows
that they are therefore Improbable, or worth
less. We know of diggings in California which
were said, by the raw mining critics OF that
day, to be exhausted" in the fall of lS49,
but which yet continue to pay handsome re-
munerative wages, and for which large prices
are demanded The old system Of pan and
rocker gave place TO the "long toms" and
those exhausted" diggings paid better than
they ever had; theE sluice boxes aud other im.
provements were substituted, and the same
diggings, no longer profitable to the ''toms." "
paid even better wages and then came by
draulcs aud still better improvements. and still
the same diggings, successfully exhausted -
so said the smart Alecs of croakers,-continued
to pay richly and even extravagantly, and so
they continue to pay yet. just so has it been.
and, we predict, so will it be with the mines OF
Boise Basin, for many years to come.
But no mines eau be successfully worked
without water. and this great essential. the
Statesman ought to remember, is not -f mans
producing. The Wise Providence who furn.
ishes to the miner, as To all others, this impor
tant blessing. one season withholds. and another
season plentifully bestows the boon. just as the
rains and droughts are dealt out to the farmer,
the winds and cal,ns to the mariner. and the
years OF plenty aud the years Of famine are
adjudged throughout the world.
This season, there is On unprecedented
scarcity Of water in this Basin. The hight
snowfall Of the past winter has occasioued n
low stage Of water in oil the mountain streams.
from which the bitches are supplied to lead the
volumes to the claims. Consequently the placer
mining in this Basin is very seriously retarded.
and is in many localities suspended for the
season. and this necessarily produces the IN
usual dearth in mining employment tn which
the Statesman refers with such manifest sayory
relish, rs though it were gratiied tn learn that
Boise Basin was no longer fourishing. but was
on the descending grade. rapidly going to ex-
haustion and decay.
Exchanges from California, Nevada. Oregon,
Montana, Utah, Dakota, Colorado. and Arize.
no, all tell Of the same want Of water in the
mining regions within their boundaries which is
Eet here in Boise Basin, and throughout Idaho
this season. And in no diggings in any Of these
States or Territories do we hear Of so gener.
ally remuneratiye and good wages being made
rs in this Basin. The gold il here. II water
be not furnished this season to fairly work the
mines and extract the precious metal from the
ground, it will rot be scanty ia seasons to
come, and meanwhile the gold will not evapor-
ate or melt away. 1t viii remain In the soil to
reTard the industry Of tho miner who shall
dig it out IN some following prosperous season,
and will in good time aid to lubricate oil the
wheels of trade throughout the wbole comnn-
nifty, and its large aggregate product win SUBJ
stantialy announce to the world that the placer
mines Of Boise Basin nre yet exceeding rich.
and not exhausted, but are the best paying
mines extant, ..tf.s.a
s------------r-
OVER THE SUMMIT. C.. Durant, Vice
d rae;donf az tla pa c.E n Eni1rnaA koloura, ,ba