The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-03-29
The Colorado Mining Excite
ment.
New Orleans PicaYnne. |

with the history OF mining countries to
realize the lossesand suffering resulting
from the periodical rushes to new dis
tricts, where favorable indications o.
large deposits of the precious metals
have been found, or some fortunate
miner has developed good body of ore
The speculatof, the mining fsharp,
and the professionals, are the FIRST upon
the scene. Their operations ale to be
directed towards the pockets OF tho vic
| Tins that come in later. Their plans
are arranged to secure the 'sbonanzas'
in the pocketbooks and bank accounts
of the ''grsenhorns" who invariably
rush to the new Ell Dorado. They lay
ont town, sell corner lots at $4,000
each, secure the water rights in the
neighborhood, through the agency Of
dummies" stake off claims, start a
daily paper to lie, and deceive the out
side world, hire the unfortunate Bohe-
mians who have squandered their last
cent, for The price of weeks board to
write gross exAggerations of the ''finds''
to distant Journals, and employ bullies
to intimfdate the honest victim who
may contemplate exposure of the fraud.
1t is astonishing how solid becomes
| mining settlement brought together
| under such circumstances. The victims
turn swindiers, and keep up the decep,
ton to bring in new crop of fools to
work off their claims and town lots upon.
This is an unvarnished story of hun.
dreds of towns and mining camps in the
Territories, even in the old days of the
placers. But there is no loose gold to
be worked out now to speak of, and
quartz rsining is more hazardous than
any game of chance. Not one quartz
mine in 6ve hundred ever pay expenses.
Ont of the 219 mines on the Comstock
ode, where the great "bonanza" ore
body WAS found. only about eight have
even declared dividend, and there are
not over two of them at the present
\ time that are not run on assessments
| upon the shareholders
The Southern Colorado excitement
| will probably result as did the great
rush to the Eureka district, New, sew.
! eral years ago. There the same quality
of ore was found scattered by freak OF
nature over an immense area. A thin
horizontal strata of silver ore underiaid
| nearly the whole district Thousands OF
claims were staked off, and the whole
country was filled with tales of the won
derful wealth of Eureka. When the
| shafts had penetrated the ore the valpe
of the claims rose into the thousands
The top ore would have paid fairly for
the cost of the labor had operations
ceased when 1t was exhausted, but. as
usual in such cases, the miners having
cut through the strata went ON deeper,
only to sink their entire capital. Some
two or three Of the mines, located on
well defined veins, have in the long run
proven profitable, and these, in the
hands of large capitalists and expert
enced miners, subsequently formed the
basis of fourishing town.
There may be an outcome for the new
districts in Colorado that are now at
tracing SO many persons from all parts
of the country, but the probabilities are
that nine will lose where one will gain,
and they are most likely to turn ont
places "where one man sits upon pile
of gold to see thonsand starye."
----s-~l1s ----T--7-----~---