New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-25

HISTORY. CONDITION AND OUTLOOK.

a. Western, mining districts written by Ar. H. l..
whit stall correspondent of fHE Tribune. They
have been graphic and fresh. and though popular
.,her thau scientific have generally hcea strictly
...,,,,, IN ma, ters oF fact and have supplied
al ,rs,,t felt by The public Mr. White did not.
hcreycr cover the whole field. and rs | have re-
..ntl, scent several months in the West aud h&vo
.,amju.la number Of Important mines AVID mining
Arr g. no, visited bs him. your readers uiay per
a, L. willing to have his Of letters supple
..,,. bv some notes ON such mines rs have not yet
-. described In your columns. il seems desirable
s,cexer. that the matters Of detail which will Ter
a., ,,,st part make MP these notes should be- pre-
cJ,d lbs a few words m regard Ia the present con
ss,,. ,f ,nining industry at the West anc It's oat
look f0T the inture
,rt.se who remember the course of events m our
,t, during the last thirty years viii re'all more
.h.n one cpidcmie of mining fever. AMI these have
-, ,nd.hbly fixed in the memory oil many oI our
-. lv the losses anu iisappoinIments they have
.ssi,,ed First came the discovery of geld IN
California in 1917 and the rush to the geld fields
,,,es fairly began in 1919 and continued
.h,-b several year,; resulting I'm the or
.;1atioe of cur Western empire. the build
e. of the Pacific Railroad and tie con-
.rhutiou of 81. 500. 100000 in gold to our
-aronaI wealth. Must OF this gold came
tom the supel6cls al deposits worked by thousands
~ ,ndependent eulch miners. and though tie guam
,,.x obtained caused I'D excitemcnt and inurced
Great rush TO the mining districts the work re-
rea little cap tai for its prosecution aud dld not
nronote the formation of mining companies nor
Generate a speculative spirit mining. Its effect
,or the East was simply 20 draw on part, 3id
oftsn suDerduous part. of the population, and WAS
therefore quite different from that OF the mining
tevers which followed H.
wben the placer deposits of California had been
40 far exhausted as 20 yield uncertain return Tor
Individual effort and the production OF gold came
chiefly from hydraulic wasting and systcmaue
..,rin,- IN quartz lodges the unemployed mining
nopulafion In part turned 10 other avocallcns
and partiv migrated TO discover and de-
colon mines In other portions OF the great
,n,,,ral belt of the West. This army OF
nrospectors overran Oregon, Idaho, Montana.
Nevada Utah Arizona and Colorado every vhere
searching for gold and that in placer OF " gnleh
so,osits Several OF these were found which proved
N he of considerable richness. such Alder Gulch
In Montana and the gold diGgings on Clear creek
and the Upper Arkansas in Colorado. In the IN
terior of the continent, however, the rainfall WHICH
measures the amount of erosion and the aecuinula-
ton Of surface material, Is comparatively hen'
and local For this reason placers there are
NJ lnited extent and those discovered were early
exhausted Thus placer mining throughout the
West I'm \ great measure lost its Importance, ana II
may now be said 10 be practically abandoned tx
cent in portions Of the California gold belt. where
Al Is cont nned by the great hydraulic mining oou
NAMES ana IN few districts of the INTERIOR where
It's eagre returns satisfy none but the patient ana
economical Chinaman
With the exhaustion Of placer deposits In various
rsrts of the West the attention OF miners was Ill
rected first to the quartz lodges. the source I"ih
which the gold was originally derived by na'ures
and IN
eral veins discovered in many localities, that car
RED silver as their chief constituent. but combined
with this gold copper and other metals Among
Aha FIRST of these veins to be worked.
and that which mp 90 the present the
IN. proved the richest OF ALL was tne
Comstock. that has now yielded over $500 ooo'oVo
,n gold and silver. About the same tne WIN tne
comstock silver veins were found at Anst'n Del
mont. White Pine and other places In Nevada anu
m the Owybee district of Idaho. All these proved
exceedingly productive. and they created grea' eA
ritement not only IN the mining popua"on ''Seii'
but throughout the country. Nevada was the prin-
,,naI cantre of attraction and field OF operation.
shouyh Eastern California. Northern Utah and
Sou,hern Idaho contributed each It's share TO the
',.r.ral furor. This culmnst ed In the flush times
Immediately following the war. Mining companies
were then organized by thousands everv prospect
hole found purchaser. millions OF capital were
pmred into the mining districts and invested win
inch entire disregard OF business principles ana
common prudence thst failure was IN mostins'ances
illogical necessity. The warnings or science were
i,reearled the experience gained IN other countries
80. scorned and the error. still prevalent thar
Ar ,n.dncated "practleal miner" WAS the only
,sfs Vude led capitalists into all sorts OF mistakes
stamp mills wers erected to work smelling ores
.nelters were built at mines furnishing only mill
f,c ores or what was still common. expensive
mining and milling establishments were constructed
where mo- considerable quantity Of ore OF any kino
existed Added to this. there was frequently a COM
ulete forgetfulness of the plainest teach
iuys of prudence and experience IN the selection
OF the managers of these mining ENTERPRISES
Work OF . special kind. involving the Outlay VI d
large amount Of money, was 70 be done oS agents
two thonsand OF more miles away from personal
srns,x,sion. In such circumstances a necessary
,ondion TO success mist be the selection OF agents
n,oved 70 DO honest and skilled IN the duty they
bava "a perform. Instead Of tins. Oftener than
o.hervise the work was entrusted 90 some relative
or fr,end of president OF DIRECTORS who was un-
emrloved because upft for usefulness In any
other ayocaton; oftener. perhaps. incompetent
than dishonest, bat none the less IN
oual,Ged for the place 10 which ne was
avDoiuted. Such folly could have but one
result Most of the mining enterprises were
unsuccessful. and. Is generally tue case
the blame was laid where II did not Oeion2.
Tie mines were pronounced worthless anu
fhose who had lost their money in mining through
tA., ,, cors,essness a nd Ignorance credited their
failure To the mines alone and Thereafter regarded
svrrv mining enterprise with distrust. If not a.
swindie and a snare
S,hao,..,, axneriepce has shown the OF
zach rxfrene The immense revenues derived from
onr r,n,s rro-e that they are second only 10 agrl