Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1871-07-07
CORRESPONDENCE.
Letter from the State Geologist.

Mr.. W. J. WRIGGLEswoRTn-Dea
Sir On my return from a trip through
the southwestern part of the lead district,
| found among the other mail matter that
had accumulated on my table, two copies
of the Republican, Being new, to me at
least, and the first copies that had seen
they were examined with interest. Bet
while it was crowded with information
selected and varied. such as could not
fail to interest an intelligent community,
nothing was of SO much interest to me as
your short but pointed notice of mining.
Your statement in reference to what is
most needed at present, namely, to make
the facts in relation to the true condition
of our mines known, and that such means
should be used as would accomplish this
end, will be endorsed by every man inter.
estcd in our State.
But it occurs to me, and to many 9TH
ers, that if this work is to be accomplish.
ed, one of the most powerful elements in
the means to be employed will be an able,
fearless journal that will not only publish
the facts faithfully, but defend our min
ing interests against misrepresentation,
and thus place them before the world in
their proper light.
The condition of our mining interests at
the present time is very peculiar. They
seem to be In transition state, passing as
it were from our old individual system of
mining where neither capital or intelli-
gence were regarded as important, into a
system where capital, skill and intelligence
will be the ruling elements, and where
mining will be placed on an intelligent ba-
sis, and followed as legitimate and sys-
tematic branch OF industry. 1t may be
work of no small moment to remove the
prejudices and peculiar notions of the old
system, in order to present our mining in
terests in an intelligent and scientific
light to parties of the new. But your
suggestion-the publication OF tacts-will
surely work this out in time.
The facts to be published should be Sc
lected from two classes--the practical and
scientific. This will be necessary from
the fact that in this new system, practical
and scientific men will be interested, that
is the capital and labor that must DC COM
bned in this new system will represen; to
a great extent these two classes of men.
And besides this, there are but few things
in miAng operations Of more importance
than proper balancing of practical and
scientific knowledge, and careful and
proper selection of practical and scientific
facts they will often mentally explain
each other.
Practical knowledge, may do very we'll
under certain circumstances, and in GER
tain stages of mining operations, as for in
stance, in our lead district, where the out
crop of the ore deposits often show them
selves amid the grass roots, and were
washed out by the rains or dug out by
burrowing animals. Evidences of mineral
wealth that the untutored savage could
not fail to see. But when these out crop
pings are exhausted, and the assures fol-
lowed down in the settled and solid rock,
where they will naturally become more
complicated and when capital as we'll as
labor is essential to drain of the water,
and otherwise put the mines in working
condition, it is then we shall have to meet
questions put to us by capitalists in refer
ence to the nature of our mineral veins,
their relation to natural laws, and physic-
al conditions, that mere practical knowl-
edge of mining can never answer. SUCH
information is not within the field of prac.
teal observation or the observation Of
mere practical men, it cannot be reached
by them even by anology. 1t is at this
point that science comes to the aid of min.
ing, and furnishes the scientific reason
why our mineral views may or may not be
proftably followed into the strata below.
This point we have now fully reached
in the history of our mines. To prosecute