The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1880-03-27
The Colorado silver Fever.


The movement q men eager to enter she
Supposed III Dorado il Colorado is wide
spread. From the lakes to the Gulf Of Mex
leo, from the Atlantic to tae Pacific, the sil
yer ever RACES with constantly increasing
violence.
The previous state Of the stricken, their
age, the conditions Of life under which they
| lived, the degree of education they possess,
seem TO have no influence TO enable them to
resist this disease. From tho cities, towns,
aud villages; from farms. plantations, aad
ranches; from the coal and iron mines OF
Pennsylvania, aud from the pine woods OF
the Nonh, come the same reports OF men
seized with the Carbonate or Ruby Lead sIi'
yer fever.
1t is estimated by competent judges that
during the next summer 10000 men will en-
/ ter that portion Of the Rocky Mountains sit
uated in southern Colorado These men have
abandoned, or are preparing to abandon, the
/ work they are at present engaged IN, and VIII
| Join the spectators or prospeeiors who are
| now in the mountain towns waiting until the
/ snow melts before invading the Ute Reserya'
| ton and the Gunnison country. That these
men, strong in numbers, will respect amy
! treaty stipulations made with Indians Is I'M
/ probable.
OF the 10000 who are to eater the mining
/ districts, not one in ten will have any eXpe'
/ rence Ia mining. The amount oil suffering
I these men will endure cannot be estimated.
/ The number of deaths in their ranks, caused
] by starvation and exposure in those high al
titudes, will be large,
| Prospecting for gold and silver is not
| pastimc. 1t is work Of the most severe de-
4 scriplion; work done on scanly food OF wretch
4 ed quality, for which exOrbltant prices have
/ been paid The actual daily life ola prospec
4 tor is as different from the imaginary one that
has been pictured 10 the men going into Col
orado as the reality Of war was from the kuap'
sack picnic that the young men OF TINS country
| supposed was to be held in Virginia in 1861,
/ Ii is not probable that one man IN thou
sand who prospects in Colorado this summer
| will find lead Of any value. IL Is safe TO
assume that the valuable mines discovered
there the coming season can be counted on
the fingers Of the hands
II should be understood BY all men who
are entering so hopefully on the search for
hidden wealth, that the published reports OF
the value OF the mineral in different mines
are, almost without exception, false re-
! port that claims n value Of 500, 700, 300, L.
/ 900, 800 ounces OF silver per ton OF ore Is a
| fraudulent report The assay on which these
reports are based is undoubtedly correct,
| The fraud consists in chipping OF the richest
| bits from selected ores, and claiming tbs re-
suit obtained by an assay Of these pieces,
/ doubly selected, as an average sample OF the
value Of the mineral in the mine. 10 prop
l erly sample Il mine is very simple. II the
/ examiner goes to the face OF the headings aud
air courses and into the working chambers
and IN many different places gouges out tiny
channels Ia the mineral from foot wall to
hanging wall, saving the chips, these chips,
when reduced TO powder aud thoroughly
mixed, will represent the average ore in the
m,ne. An assay OF a portion OF this dust
would give the value OF the mineral in the
mine. The selection Of few tons of the
richest ore ia the mine, aud sending them to
the sampling mills, is not honest. Any sAmp-
ling done under the direction of the mine
owners or managers Of q mine is Of necessity
not trustworthy.
1t is owing to the extravagan, reports Of
the value OF the mlnesal in some OF these
Colorado mines that the present mining eX.
citemeat has broken out The railroads lead
ing to the mining country have famed the ex
ci'ement. They are simply greedy for the
money to be paid for fares.
IL is we'll known fact that silver and gold
mining, in leads, has never paid. The mines,
as u whole, have, year after year, swallowed
more money than they have yielded There
Is no other business so risky as silver and
gold mining. Occasionally mine pays a
moderate profit In rare instances one yields
immense returns. None Of the so.called DO.
nanza kiags made their money in legitimate
mining. They acquired their property by
manipulating the stock markets of San Fran.
cisco and in milling the ore.
The great majority OF the 10000 hopeful
men who are to enter the Colorado Rocky
mountains in search Of tae precious metals
are doomed to bitter disappointment and loss.
Many are leaving their homes to die from ex.
posure, camp diseases, or starvation.
Colorado is a land Of cash payments.
There IS no credit given for food To prospect.
ing tramps. The men who gothere hadbelter
take money with them. They will probably
need it before the snow ilies next fall.-N. y.
SHR.