Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1879-03-15
LOCATING A CLAIM.
How They DO 1t mt Leadville-Dirt Worth
from $500 to 81 900 . WagOn-lOad.

correspondence Chicago Tribune.l
MANY theories have been advanced as
to the origin of this vast bed of silver.
which seems to underlie the entire tri-
angle at the base of which the Village of
Leadville is situated. Experience has
shown certain facts, however, which are
not to be contradicted, and which serve
as guideboards to the miner in his jour
new down into the bowels of the earth.
In order TO explain more fully, l pro-
pose that the reader accompany dig
ging expedition.
Let us suppose that Smith and Jones
become "pards," and start out on a
prospecting tour. Ii the country over
which they travelled is entirely new,
thev look for surface indications. They
know that in every mineral district there
are places where the body of the ore
crops out So, if in their wanderings
they come across the soft stones known
as carbonates, and readily distinguishes
BILE, they know that they are at one Of
those outcroppings, and.proceed to dig.
In the vicinity of Leadville the presence
of silver has been so clearly established
that these indications are not so much
looked after. The only anxiety is to
get as near as possible to a mine which
has already produced good mineral.
Smith and Jones, having decided upon
q location for sinking shaft, are at lib
erty to
STAKE OFF A CLAIM,
which, under the Government Mining
law, may be 800 by 1,500 feet in any d.
rection which they choose. They are
not legally entitled, however, to this
CLAIM until they have reached mineral.
Any one else can come and sink q shaft
along side of them; but, as soon as one
party has reached mineral iron, lead,
or silver, they are legally entitled to
the claim, and the other party must i'm
mediately vacate. Then the finders
must survey and stake off again; for the
first survey is only informal, and not
recognized by law. 1t is proper to state
here, that, among regular miners, the
rule is against any interference; AID, if
Smith and Jones have begun shaft
and staked their claim, honorable min
ers keep clear of them. In this camp,
however, there is such q wild excite
ment that very little attention is paid to
miners etiquette; and man can now
hardly begin a shaft anywhere but
some other parties come along and dig
beside him, in the hope of either beating
him down to mineral, or of being bought
of. There is also good deal of " jump
ing" and mob-law is often appealed to
in order to secure an owners rights.
Only few days ago, two men who we're
working a shaft in this vicinity were set
upon by party of roughs, who ordered
them away, broke their windlass, threw
their buckets down, and then calmly
took possession of the claim. Occur
but the prudent miners go armed, and
oppose force to force when occasion
arises.
Smith and Jones, having broken
ground and staked off their claim,
BEGIN TO DIG.
The ground is usually easily worked for
the first ten or twenty feet-consisting
of loose dirt with granite powders. A
rude windlass is erected over the hole,
and two buckets are suspended. One
digs, and the other draws up the debris
and dumps it outside. After getting
down few feet, it becomes necessary
to put in curbing to prevent the walls
from falling in. Logs are easily OBJ
tainable, as this whole district is thickly
overgrown with scrub-pines; and the
men curb as they go down. Now the
great question with them is, how far
they must dig to strike the mineral.
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