New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-06-24
COLORADO SILVER MINES.
THEIR NATTJRE AND VALUE.

lFEoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT or THE 1RiHUNEl
GEORGETOWN, Col, june 7.-Gecrget0wn,
which is e capital OF Clear Creek Comfy Is the center
OF the sVer mining interests Of Northern Colorado rs
Central City is tho center Of tho gold mines The two
places are only twenty miles apart and 1t Is rather aston
lshnc that such immense quantities of silver should Ice
found Ia place with scarcely gold and that gold
should be the principal product OF the other let the
two interests are marked and distinct as though they
were separated by thousands OF miles. Central City by
many years tie elder and her mines. If not richer arc
more fully develoyed. Central City has the advantage in
the matter OF titles, in mills railroad communication &C.
and there Ia generally better feeling among the business
men fewer contests among rival interests
Both cities young IN mining and In neither have the
mines been adequately developed. The only means %
public communication between the places Is uaF s'aso
Georgetown seems somewhat larger Than Central 'lN
md has more streets on level 1t 10 situated close 10 the
snowy range on South Clear Greek aud ON three sides
east SOUTH and west the mountains Use abruptly Low
feet AS in the mountains about Black Hawk ana Oei"iM
Cv there are evidences on every hand Of the uwse eN
rendlturo OF vast Of money Mills IN runs anu
abandoned claims meet the visitors eye Oh
evcrv hand whether he approaches Georgetown
through Eureka Cuch or through the mining camp
above Nevada Ten years ago. IA ne uiJs % We F."'
gold excitement, people dealt with the fabulous ~ J" "
were real Nothing was too extravagant II W"s 'hy
NECESSARY TO invest thus capital reasoned-aAd monty
Aovod in like water ia tho eulcLcs Tie hnlsldes were
coy,ed with busy ncn and one stopped 10 tliK Ih'
only one in ten makes money by mining CAih'al ~"
nishcd hc opportunity for decevlng Itself one lh'uon
Is related Of a man who sold worthless calh i"r
go 600 and In a few days, thoroughly had Dc 0o
ceiyed himself that he offered $4,000 for the property
Pco,c are yet prone in the face of the many failures
tho results OF Which everywhere apparent To lee""
mining as sort Of game at chance instead OF a. o'
ness which is only rcmunoiavo I" cad'h' 'huuSu! III
teigcnoe, and patient labor
APPEARANCE OF TIiE MINES.
Cno,cc,ovvn turscnts a more lively appearance 'nah
central CITY The streets are full Of people hcaN
wagons laden with silver crcak through the to"n
Trains OF little mules buiTOs, carry ing PROVISIONS PoT
der mining implements and other necessaries for the
mountains may he starting on their ulIs 10 lh'N
far aboyc only TO be approached by almost INACCESSIBLE
trails ana before the stores stand long trains OF '
Wagons unloading provisions and wares whhch haN'
beep hauled from end OF tho raiToad tWoh! mnos
away.
standing on tho steps of the hotel drove mp was
W "a Glenn Of Baltimore whom had not seen for
several \, ars lie no longer rcsembled The wclIesSeu
millionaire OF former dayS, half OF whose life hhd D'eh
spent in foreign capitals and IN the best circles o. u' own
country among Statesmen. politicians ana men o. Nt
ters lie too had gone into mining, as learned alor-
va,d Up in the mountains he had SILVER
mine and IA he explained ms presence there to me- no"
te cam. &C. we entered the place OF ms ABODE
In the best hotel in the place but Of course one meSof III
Its accommodations. lived Mr. Glenn ls single room
srved a. bed-cbamher sittimgroom, Office and library
and had only single window. with dismal outlook
Tbon.auds Of miles away from his relatives and trends,
and from the cOmOi is and lu1ucS WINCH Ddd pce"he
eecond nature to him. this southern gentleman III the
decline of e with money, friends, position popularity
and large acquantanceshp had left all to endure tie
bardshps the risks the dsappontmcns and the annoy
snces of mining He had already invested cHer bail
million OF dollars AMI here to watch his interests
Asmight he sunlscd br Glenn is fun OF confidence ana
faith in tho Colorado mines He says, what Is patent 10
INV Observer that thus far only the surface OF the min
era wealth OF Colorado has been touched and that the
fu.re wl place her at the head OF The mining States
The hest mines IN Colorado only down from 500 TO
200 feet, which In most mining countries Is mere
scratching Of the surface. On the C"msiock lOde the
wealth Of the mine Is struck at depth Of 200 to 500
feet The mines here 20 improve with DEPTH ana
the crcvces AZ they go down. sharply de
fined demonstrating that they are true assures ana not
mere gnsh VEINS far the best mines OF the country
have been opened in Republican, sherman ana Brown
Mountains I visited several OF the mines IN George
TOWN and even to Impractical eye the show OF ore
was very rich Tho first mine OF note Is above the village
nj silver Plume, TWO miles FROM Georgetown, mp the
canon II the Pay Rock about 500 feet above the bed
of Clear Creek Of the Pay Rock arc the Dives ana
Pelican which have In furious litigation with each
other for several years. Below theIn the Baxter ana
Lntelope and further west, the COdstrcam with the OK
ception OF the Antelope. these are large anu paying
mines and all have furnished the means for their own
deyelopmcnt-a most unusual case III INNING East oi
The Pay Rock are the Snow Drift and Silver Plume which
have been well opened, and at times have shown good
,oi,cra, West OF this rich group Of mines. Brown
Culch are the Terrible which has proved Itself real
lode and the Thirty Hercules above it, which
SYSTEM OF MINING.
AT present the whole system OF mining Is still 80 rude
here tlt many miners Of experience express astOnsh
ncnt that the mines paying at all In Europe the
average value " silver that bring in profit il less
than 50 ton while here that marketed range
from so ounces 600 ounces OF silver To the tothe
average production Of tho marketed orc being Ovcr 200
ounces The complain savagey about the failure
t get ANY large proportion Of the gold under the present
syseln They say that that would make the fortune
of mine in the Hlrz Mountains are here tossed out on
fbe dunps The iiging process only fairly tried last
vear and now II has been followed up by separation
works at the Terrible mine. It's friends say 1t is now
evident that with little outlay for labor this company
wifi realize $75 from low-grads the accumulation OF
four years aud until virtually vaueicss. Between
the Terrible u the west and the Pay Rock in the east
spaee OF a little half mile, there are now dump
piles at the different Mines which, it is estimated would
reaye 3, so 600 but they of value for want
of proper appliances get out the The miners here
are ONLY Just beginning 20 learn that the profits Of eg
mate mining consists in its economies The waste on
large mine would pay handsome dividend on large
capital.
The road m the south fork Of Clear Creek leads to
group Of mines on Lcayenworth Mountain. The most
nromn,ut OF these is the Colorado Central, which has
PRODUCED according TO the record great deal OF ore
The broadway, the NinOt and Steamboat are being
worked -Four i've ago great deal OF labor was
exep1ed Oh the Compass and Square and from appear
ances both capital and labor expended freely on the
Equator But this mountain has proved to be what the
miners call "pockcty and its production Is unsteady
rbe Marshall Tunnel (which II rocOlicct Alright. its
owner told me was mes long, started 70 cut the
iodes which crossed depth OF 800 feet or more but