Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-05-14

DEVELOPED THE MINES ON TIN yrRGrNI
SIDR-wILL MINING PAY IN rHR POTOMAC
REGIoNe-THK FACTS PRO AND CON
There is plenty of gold within TWENTY-FIVE
miles Of washington" remarked well known
prospector to STAR reporter recently. "but OF
course 1t takes work and time and q great dea]
OF both to get It. The history OF California
shows that it has cost two dollars to get each
dollars worth OF gold, that even that king OF
gold states. has produced. Many invest ip
land, spend great piles OF money for machinery
and equally large sums for labor, and yet only
have their trouble and outlay for their efforts.
others more fortunate strike 1t rich from the
lump and make great piles of money with
has been, is, and will be the history Of the gold
production OF the gold region that lays in
montgomery county, Maryland on one side of
me Potomac, and Fairfax county, Virginia, on
This put THE STAR man, who is a kind OF an
amateur prospector, on his inquiry. 1t gave
| him the gold fever, as 1t were, and It was net
many day $ before he began a tour Of
TIKI GOLD REGION IN MARYLAND.
first visiting the gold mine which Ia being suc.
cessfully worked, four miles east and north OF
the Great Falls, and about eighteen miles dis.
tant from this city. Securing the services CT
an experienced and extremely pleasant quite,
lib; Iak STAR man started out on Saturday morn
|
furnished one OF his noted nags for the expee
! oltion, 1t was not long before TIE STAR re-
porter found himself. for the first time in his
| me- at q real gold mine, which is located as
stated above, couple OF miles from Orups
Before giving description of the mine ITSELF
story will be related as told by the guide on
| the way. va
lit has been known to the farmers who
reside along the Potomac for many years that
there Is gold In considerable quantities In the
| ROCKS OF that country" the guide began, "buu
it was not thought that it was in sucn quant1-
ties, that 1t would pay to develop it. Now and
| then piece OF rock would be picked up by
some one, which contained some free gold. and
there would be considerable talk about it, but
more would be heard on the subject until some some
other person made lucky find and then
every body would begin prospecting again.
The eo fever died out almost as rapidly as it was
give up: Some Of them We're Wiid
enough to expect to find ready made
on, and because they did not succeed after a
search OF an hour or so, they would give it
up as loves labor lost, and resume work with
their ploughS or harrows In the soil; experience
having told them that If they worked hard
enough and mad any kind OF luck, they were
almost certain to get living out OF the soil.
No doubt 1t was kind Of risky TO delye down into
the mysteries of the earth, and In many cases ii
was attended with considerable expense. Every
one came to this conclusion, however-that is,
on the subject-that II a sufficient sum OF money
could be raised to erect the necessary and yery
expensive machinery, gold digging could be
made to pay. But the capital necessary to put
the project on Its feet did not offer Itself and
nothing was done until during the past three
years, when corporation under the name of
THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY MINING COMPANY
undertook the job. Since then they have had
the monopoly In developing gold In this county.
and have been very successful. They have Sc
cured the most intelligent labor and improved
apparatus, aud are, it is said, making money
HOW much, we who are not let into the secrets
OF the company, know not, and this fact worries
some people great deal. 1t appears that the
company are satisfied with the prospects. and
works." N0-A
The guide then was about to explain other
gold region. as 1t is called when TIE STAR man
INDICATED that the story must be told as briefly
as possible, as the double sheet STAR, In which
me story would be printed, was so well filled
Tor Wire drawn details.
"Brevity is the word theD," the guide said,
continuing the conversation, Though it is hard
10 conoease 80 much OF joy and unhappiness,
expectation and disappointment, wild dreams
OF sudden and immense wealth and sad reality
OF tired hands, WORKOUT feet. empty pockets.
and equally empty stomachs, running over q
period OF sixteen years, into anything ike
short story.
DURING THE WAR
there were, as you may have heard OF or seen.
a great many soldiers stationed at different
points along the Potomac, from the Aqueduct
Bridge at Georgetown all the way I'D to the
Great Falls, and even higher up. Well, these
soldiers. or some OF them at least often wan
dered Into the country on tours of pleasure or
lot tle purpose OF foraging for chickens, vege-
| tables and other things that soldiers en- joy at
times. Now ana then one of them would Dick
! up piece OF quartz with speck of gold ID it.
He would show 1t to select few OF his friends,
q O fhzryF
would go hunting for more. Some OF them told
the most extravagant stories of their dIscoy-
erles, and put great values on their finds,
ne ih sn ea1c was Ieay no substance for them
afterwards, at least twenty. five OF these same
soldiers came back to the scenes Of their dis
e0yeIles 3 ana endeavored to purchase certain
put the farmers In an excited condition and IL
Is matter OF record that some of them refused
lor small strip OF land sum which would
more than buy their entire farms now There
were rumors OF rich veins being discovered
every day. the rumors In each case proving, on
Investigation IN to be groundless or greatly
exaggerated. Some OF these would-be pur-
chasers OF mining land hung around until they
had spent every cent they had, and then gave
up the whole thing In disgust and left.
ANOTHER GOLD FEVER.
SIX or seven years since, another fever broke
out but 1t did not last long, and Of it all fas you
seem anxious for me to wind up) there is
AoIhibS ACIC CACcpG ILLS ul1uc, which lS, In nv
opinion. valuable property. There are plenty
OF planners about here-fellows who hunt
ABOUT the shores OF the various creeks and
branches for small pieces Of rock which contain
gold. and which are broken OF by the processes
OF nature, storms, floods and the liSe These
Planners frequently gather good rock enough
TO pay them as much as they would receive. and
often more, for working on FARMS Their entire
outnt Is q small pan and sieve by which they
get out the gold from the sand or crushed
rock"
The reporter expressed his thanks for the
story, and bade the guide take a rest while he
interviewed Mr.. Louis Morgan, the under
ground superintendent of the ming who han.
pened, in the absence of Mr.. d. c. Harrison. the
general superintendent. to be in charge Mr.
Morgan was very communicative, and explained
the various processes to which the gold-con-
tanning rock went through from the time IL
comes up in the shaft from where it is mined
until IL Is melted into bars, In which shape 1t is
disp0sed OF.
THE HISTORY OF THE MINE.
The company" he said, has been in active
operations for over two years. 1t owns, In all.
about two hundred and sixty acres OF land.
which includes portions of what were known
as HarrlS0nS, Fishers and Stones farms be-
sides property near by which was purchaser
from NICHOLAS Acker and Mr.. Davidson. The
vein mat we are now working runs north and
south. The shaft Is now one hundred and five
rect deep and the bottom Is below the water
level the rock Is getting better as we get
deeper. 1t Is mostly flint and slate Ordinarily
we have six miners at work, but to. day we have
but two Including the engineers. the force of