The Elk Mountain pilot., 1881-10-20
WANTED, PATIENCE.

Nothing IS so much needed to-das
In mining les as patience. Mining
at best is slow business. 1t canno!
too often be repeated that the bes;
mines in the world nearly ruined their
owners before they ripened into paw.
We have several well-known instances
IN Leadvl!le where nothing but dog
ged perseverance enabled mine own
ers to realize the fruit Of their labors.
and the reward oaly came long after
1t had been expected. One of the
richest mine owners in the East lately
observed that when he bought the
- mine he lad $50, ooc, and CAL
culated that one -F,a!tof it would sufi e
to open the mine. He spent the
whole of the money, then had to take
IN partner with $4,000 mere, and
when this was spent the firm had to
borrow $4,000 more before they got
dollar out Of the property. When
the reward came it was big. They
got all their money back in a wear,
and have now one of the most profit
able small mines in the United States.
AT best mining is very slow work.
Shafts have got to be sunk, tunnels
driven and levels run, and this work
cannot be done faster than at given
rate. No more than two or three
men can work in a narrow tunnel. and
even when three shifts are employed
the progress is very slow in hard rock
Yet the ore body must be traced by
system OF working before it is prudent
to begin to stop. This is without
counting the necessary inevitable de:
lay from water. Miners always pursue
the same course as to water. They
always begin by putting in pumps that
are too small and too feehlc to COM
bat large water flow. When thew
break down Others are set i, their
place. and thew very often nroye
equally inef1~ient. E,dless DELAYS
ensue from this cause. Then bid ai~
has to be counted unor. and w..LS
are often spent in providing ventila-
tlon 50 that the mi-erS ~, con.i,r.
to work. Onit" frequently shaft
several hundred feet has got to b.
sunk to provide air for the men work.
ing in 4 tunnel below.
1t is these facts whioh render so
many recent corporate mi~iro entc~-
prlses so snpremclv ridiculous A
party of gentlemen bnv A r~omisi,c
prospect and stock II. rescrvirq treas
urv stock. which is cal~ulated to b-,rr
$4,000 or $50. 900 into the treasury
Tor the purpose ofworking the mir.
Long before the mine is in condi.
ton to paw ANYTHING the small cash
fund Is exhausted. and the progress Of
development is arrested for the want
OF moIev. This NAV be the case
with an excellent mine. which. if.
were opened according 70 rule, would
paw regular dividends. is a pretty
safe rule to eschew all companies with
small working capitals. 1t viii BE-
miracle if they succeed. If they have
good property they will presently be
forced to sell It to pay there debts.
and then will bc a good time for peo
pie to buy.
The output Of Colorado this wear
will be much less than was expected
at the beginning Of the year. simpl,
because it is taking much longer to
open the mines than was expected.
The ore proves to be everywhere, just
As was believed. But 1t takes much
more time to get it out and send it to
market than the sanguine anticipated.
Many goo mines have not shipped
ton Of ore TINS summer-not that the,
didn't have it, but they couldn't ge,
At it, couldn't get 1t moved. couldn'