The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1878-11-21
THE NEW BONANZA.
Astounding Riehnes. Of the New Mining
Region NJ LeadviIle, Col

Region at LeadviIle, Col.
From The Chicago Times.
Mr. H. L. Thayer. a resident Of Colora-
do for fourteen wears past. is at the Grand
Pacific Hotel. He left Leadvllle, the new
est mining camp in the Rocky Mountains.
less than a week ago. A reporter for the
Times interviewed him regarding the
mineral discover at that place.
.-Leadville." said Mr.. Thayer, lis sit
uated in California gulch. a branch OF the
Arkansas river, l2O miles southwest of
| Denver. The principal street extends
along the gulch fall mile. This Is lined
with all sorts of cheap buildings. The
population is estimated at 1000. The
people have been drawn from all quarters
of the land. Among them are good
many Chicagoans.
1.-The accounts Of the camp published IN
the newspapers seem overdrawn and exag-
gerated. Are the discoveries really what
they have been represented to be by the
! local press and the men who have mines
to SELF" inquired tie Times mining ex
pert.
81 will tell you the truth about the
mines there. On the slope of the hills
lust east of the town the carbonate de-
posts are located The mineral has been
| found at a depth below the surface of from
eight to sixty feet. The deposits have a
pitch of from fifteen to thirty degrees, and
appear to increase in body as depth is
gained. The accepted theory with the
I local biologists and miners is that before
the upheaval of the hills took place the
mineral vas unbrokep stratum n an al
most horizontal position. Parties are
therefore sinking shafts TO demonstrate
the truth or error of this theory. These
shafts have already been sunk TO depth
of l75 feet. and it is believed bedrock
will be struck anywhere from DO to 800
/ feet below the surface. So much for the
position of the mineral.
''Now you want to know something
more definite about the discovery.
remarked Mr.. Thayer. "Well. the cal
Donates are mostly dec1mposed with an
underlying bedrock of limestone. Adore
the mineral is layer of po.phyry. The
/ first discoveries located We're named the
Pine and Camp Bird. These locations
were recorded about two years ago by the
Gallagher brothers. The principal mines
in the camp are named the Argentine.
Agassiz. Carbonate, Chiefton. Crescent,
Dyer, Dana, Emmett, Iron, Little Pitts
burg, Little Chief. Morning Star, New
| Discovery, Winnemuc, Wolf Stone and
Gone Abroad. The quantity of ore now be-
ing taken daily from each OF the aiore-
mentioned ranges from FIVE to thirty tons.
| A dozen other mines in the camp are each
yielding from one to five tons daily. The
/ total production daily of the opened mines
is easily 200 tons. This is worth, on an
average, 1928 per ton. or an aggregate of
$4,000. This, however, will be- regarded.
by well-informed miners, Us 4 ridicnlously
low estimate"
1T is reported that some of these mines
have been sold for almost fabulous sums.
What do you know about that, Cap
tain?''
1T is understood that Letter. of Field.
Letter A Co., paid $40. 600 for an interest
in the Iron mine. Senator Chatfee. enc
of the wealthiest men in our section of
country, has recently pail $4,000 for a
half interest in the Little Pittsburg. 9th
er sales have been made where the cash
consideration was very large. At present
the milling facilities are wholly made
quate to take care Of the daily production
of the mines. There are but three smelt-
ing furnaces and the same number of
stamping works in operation. The capa-
city Of all the works is being donblei.
Prospecting is being prosecuted with as
much vigOr as at any time since the camp
was located. The mountain sides for
miles around Leadville have been buTrow-
ed into by fortune-seeking prospectors,
and one can not walk dozen yards in any
direction without danger of tumbling into
Il hole in the ground. As general thing
the claimants to property Of assured value
refuse to sell out clear and clean.
''ls it not difficult to secure absolute title
to mining property in that as well "a In
older mining camps! queried the report
er.
The property-Owners, miners, and
prospectors ut Leadville feel the great
need of law which will give to the dis
coverer and purchaser regular subdivis-
ions OF the surface Of the public domain
say five, ten or twelve acres-tOgether
with whatever treasures the ground may
contain. With such law in operation.
the army of lawyers that infest mining
camps would be forced to leave or starve.
and there would be fewer lawsuits. One
objection urged against this is that wealthy
men would buy up the mineral land in large
tracts. and the poor miner stand no show
at all; but everyone In the mining regions
knows that it rarely happens that the
original dIscoverar retains even the small
est proprietary interest in the property he
has unearthed. The capitalist, after all,
must take hold and expend Of bis means
for the purchase Of machinery. and in de-
Tending unnumcrable lawsuits. The d -
discover is helpless. As developmo1t
progresses and discovery Is demonstrate
d to be valuable. Inscriptions prospect
ors locate adjacent ground sfor blackmail
ing purposes. Then whole hillside or
half gulch becomes subject of litiga-
ton. This sort of matchmaking mas al
ready caused a suspension Of work on sew
eral pieces of valuable property in Lead
Vile"
The Captain was asked what sort Of a
future, in his judgment. awaited the
Leadville camp.
II regard Lead.ille. he replied. ''as ~
far the most promising group OF discover
les made of late years. The Canyon City
or Grand Canyon branch Of the Atchison.
Tor eka and Santa Re Railroad will b.,
completed 10 the camp by the middle Of
next summer The coke can be supplied
for smelling at such reasonable figures a.
will enable the mill-men to pay higher
prices for ore The thousands xho have
gone there in the rush ne building
houses and making other improvements
preparatory to permanent residence in
theplace Al least 500 persons will
spend the winter there and these- who 20
away will do so with the expectation Of re-
turning IN the spring. Up TO the time
left the fall weather had been very pleas
ant. and highly favorable to mining OPP
erations.