The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-04-05
TRE BLACK HILLS PROS.
Letter From the Far Hest..What
an Experienced FrOntleFsmHn
ThinksA.T0O Much Earth Mixed
WITH Tho 6SnIfl

Letter From the Far West..What
an Experienced FrOntleFsmHn
ThinksA.TOOM Much Earth Mixed
With the Gold.
From letter in the Pittsburgh Leader.l
EVANSTON, WYoM1No TERRITORY, Mar.
20, 1S76.-Yours Of the oath ult., asking
for information in regard TO the Black
Hills, ia at hand. Twill try to give you
little information and that as reliable as
possible. Three Of our citizens here, all
reliable men, have Just returned from the
place and made their report, and from
what they say, with newspaper reports
from disinterested sources, must make
my letter. First l mention q man OF
business here in town, who says: 1.-THE
hills are good enough for me. II I had
taken a stock Of liquors in there 1 could
have made money on them. Business Of
all kinds, in fact, seems TO be brisk"
This man knows nothing OF mining, and
when asked about the mines reports that
he don't think the mines will pay, but
there are SO many going in there that
money cannot fail to be plenty. Next, a
man who has been keeping hotel there.
He came away discouraged with the hills
and Is not going back. He says even
hotel business will not pay there,
as the mines will not pay, and
80 many going there almost with
out means will get broke and want credit
at eating-houses TO keep them from actual
starvation that II will make It absolutely
impossible to avoid bad debts and heavy
losses. The other man is a miner. He
says there are no diggings yet found in
the hills that will pay over S55 month
to hand, and tlisjn place where board
is Sl2 per week any one can see will not
pay. The only two claims in the hills so
lar paying even tie board Of the men are
james W. Aliens and one held by par
ty OF miners from Montana, Allen having
made one clean up Of an average OF 500
per month, and the other party taking
out $50 month to the man. AT the same
time, while all reports from there from
reliable and disinterested men agree that
there is, SO lar, no dependence to be put
in the mines already worked, II should
be taken into consideration that the wealth
er is cold, the ground frozen, and that
many Of the valleys have not been thor
oughly prosrected. So there may be a
possibility OF something better being
struck, though it is only possibility,
and not by any means a probability. The
hills, even in the event OF that happening,
have now in there man for every dollar
Of gold that will ever be liable to be
taken out Of the ground there. There
has been and still is great excitement in
regard to them, and there are thousands
now there idle, or only working on build
ings liable to be abandoned at the open
ing OF spring. and hundreds Of those now
there are without the means Of subsist-
ance. In the meantime the disappointed
gUld.seekers now in the hills are starting
out every day for new fields. The Big
Horn Powder river, Tongue river, yell
lowstone, &c., are coming in for their
share OF attention. There will be
stampede from here to Big Horn as soon
as the snow gets low enough to admit Of
it, judging from present talk and appear
ances. But that is still an undeveloped
country, and they are merely going for
purposes Of prospecting and exploration,
and only with the hope Of striking mines.
In conclusion / will say that there is al
ways an opening in the west for pluck,
energy and perseverance TO win name and
position, but the same pluck and per-
severance will do the same thing and ar
rive at the same measure Of success in
the east, and that without equal hard
ships.
In regard to following mining excite
ments, Il is always unadvisabla Ninety
nine men lose every dollar they start
with, and many even life itself, where one
makes a real success. And in regard TO
the friends you mention, il they have
money TO spend and want TO gamble it
where they have only one chance in a
hundred to win, and will not feel it If they
lose, let them go to the Black Hills, and
from there around the mining excite
ments Of the summer, and they may win,
but tell every man that can make his
board in Pittsburgh, and cannot afford to
throw away money, to stay at home, and
by pluck, energy and saving, and careful
habits, win his way there at home.
Respectfully.