Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-10-25
The Black Hills Gold Region.

III the Dlack Nils mas gwen tnat sec
ton population of 100000 people,
fifty stamp mills, with thousand
stamps, of a capacity of $500 tons of
gold quartz per day, averaging 1921
ton, making a daily yield of $50, 900, or
$9,000,O00 per year. These results,
however, cannot be expected for this
year, rs many of the mills were not
ready to run until midsummer. On
the basis of last years productions, the
placer, or gravel, mines will produce
100000 more. From these facts it is
evident that the quartz-mining interest
is to be the leading resource of that
region. Thus far, only gold quartz
mines have been worked. As is usual
ly the case, the silver mines are left I'M
til the last, partly ON account of their
having been discovered mt later date,
and partly from the fact that silver
mines will never be worked so long as
those containing gold can be made to
pay. The difference between the two
is simply this: Gold quartz mines are
always more or less liable to fail while no
welldefined silver mine has ever been
known to give out There is at present
invested in the Black Hills not to ex-
ceed 100000 in mills and mining ma
chinery;about the same amount in labor
and materials, and 81, 100000 in mines,
making . total ofS3, 100000. AS an evil
dence that we do not over-estimatc
the produc ton of the mines, it is only
necessary lo take the De Smet mine.
The last three reports made from this
mine We're respectively as follows:
$4,000 100000, and $4,000, total of
$4,000 produced in sixty days, or at
the rate Of $S,100,000 per annum, o.
more than twice the entire capital now
invested in the hills.
The Home Stake mine produces ore
which will average SO per ton. This
mill has now 135 stamps running,
which will work 270 tons of quartz per
day, yielding 81 800 per day, or 81, 215.-
cooper annum, Il result of nearly $40
100000 per year from thesetwo mines
alone. The ore from these mines is
considered to be below the average of
that found in that section. Out Of the
seventy-tiye mines now being worked
there are none that will probably reach
so low an estimate per ton. The other
forty-eight mills are of much smaller
capacity than the two named but will
work about ne-fourth rs much orc
each, and the results, if rightly manag-
ed, will not be less than four times as
much in gold as the two mines named.
From this it is seen that the yield Of the
mines now opened and working is
largely in excess of the investments and
expenses, and that quartz mining, backed
by the necessary capital, is Il profitable
industry, at least in the Black Hills.
The Comstock lode of Nevada has
produced $780, 100000 and yet, with its
fifteen yegrs.of development, its deep
shafts and millions Of dollars invested
in machinery, only six mines are pay
ing u profit on reduction of the ore
taken from the mines, not to speak of
the capital invested. For every dollar
invested in the development of the
mines i'll the Black Hills, at least 81 600
has been put into the development of
Comstock, but comparatively few Of the
best and most valuable mines have as
yet been worked, because of the lack Of
necessary capital to open them properly
and build mills for the reduction Of the
ore. The mines have been discovered
and are owned by poor men, and can
not be made profitable to the owners
without capital to work them. The
character of the ore is such that mine
that will produce 81 to the ton will pay
n good profit. Most Of the money in
vested and machinery put up for the
reduction of orc has come from Cali
fornia. So far, in all the mines that
have been opened, there have been only
one or two failures Intelligent work
and good business management have
been rewarded by success in nearly
every instance American ErchdnQe,
- -
IN late letter from Paris Mrs. Lucy
IL. Hooper relates the following Incl
dent that occurred at Hamburg at the
outble ak of the Franco-Prussian war;
"A young PHILADELPHIA lady CHANGED to
be staying with her parents at one of
the principal hotels on the day that the
King of Prussia and the Crown Prince
passed through the town on their way to
the seat of war. So she decorated her
balcony with large American flag, and
when the troops came III sight she came
out and waved her handkerchief. AZ
the royal carriage passed, the King and
'Unser Fritz looked up and bowed, and
then the latter called one of his aides
de-camp to him and gave All order,
which was passed down the line-an or
der for each regiment as it went by to
salute the Stars and Stripes A noble
ndroyal act Of courtesy was this in re-
Spouse to the greeting ola young Amer.
lean girl. No wonder that even the
French forbear TO hate this gallant gen
tleman-the princeliest prince AZ mod
ern Europe"