Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1878-02-23
EUREKA DAILY SENTINEL.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY %, 1873.
POOR

POOR PROsPECTORs.
Prospectors who find the rich
rock that we read about, the beautiful
gold and silver bearing quartz which
assays away up in the thousands,
ought to be pretty rich and yet, as a gen.
geral thing, they are not. They have
much to contend with, and have need OF
all patience in their search for the
wealth that earth hides so jealously in
her bosom. The Arizona Sentinet-an
sver welcome Territorial exchange
tells us something of the struggles and
trials and explains why it is that. even
IN favored Arizona, "prospectors sell
dom get rich." Our contemporary re-
minds the large class who regard
erich rs a gold mine " in its proven
bial scceptation that large expenses at
tend the opening Of a mine, digging
and blasting through solid rock,
making opening fer working and ven
tilation. When fully understood, no
one will ask why one person does not
succeed. If his bank account be large
enough he will. Look at the cost OF
the openings and the machinery on
the Comstock, the richest of the rich.
Does any one think one individual
could stand it ? So it Is with the pros
pector. He finds the mines, and as q
miner knows he cannot 60 alone into the
earth and open up the mine on a pay.
ing basis; he knows be must contend
with hard rock, must timber, must
open levels and air passages; he needs
machinery to pump and hoist, and
then, after his ore is on the dump, what
has he? A lot of rock containing pre-.
cious metal, with a lot Of base metals.
This must go through a process of
working that requires more machinery.
He has no bank account, owes the tailor
for his clothes and the grocer for his
grub, and must sort out the best of his
rock and sell 1t at a sacrifice to keep
him in daily bread. Is 1t not wise to
sell his claim for a few thousand dol
lars and return to his old home in the
land Of civilizationf Yet how few do
1t. He can not resist the love he has
for the miners life, the charm Of being
away from all the works of man, alone
with God and nature, delving into the
mountain, prospecting the gulches and
ravines, in hope of finding the miners
greatest hope, a bonanza of gold near
the surface, as vas found in the early
days Of California, in place of which
he finds silver, lead or copper. II
these show well, he tries them, hoping
that he will develop something that
will attract the moneyed men of the
cities, and then make another stake for
himself and visit his old chums a,
home.
Mining, like all other business, must
be conducted with economy, and wants
q practical miner at its head. Nearly
all the failures of Eastern investments
have been caused by sending out some
friend or relation of some of the com.
pany to take charge of the mines who
has not the slightest idea of how silve,
aud gold mines are found, let alone
how they should be worked. What
can such persons be expected to know
of milling ore to get the precious metal
away from the basef.
Theory is good and practice is better
but theory and practice are above either
alone. Let your metallurgical students
60 into the mines and there learn to
swing the pick, to drill, to blast, and
10 distinguish ore from barren rock
let them 60 into the field and become
familiar with the practical part of min.
ing life, aud then less money will be
away and squandered. and
many a valuable property, in place Of
being condemned, will be made to
yield many returns for the money in.
vested.