The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-05-17
STABILITY OF MINING CAM

In the early days of California, when Il
tunes were taken out at every placer mini
camp i a few weeks or months at the
thest, and large amounts of money wers INF,
the hands of every one, the building of cos
residences and structures of every kind NJ
INDUCED in by the hopeful, enthusiastic, i, 4.
inexperienced residents. They thought u
flush times would last always and made
prOvements upon real estate with a layi
hand. Their expenditures were made uu
faith in the stability OF the mines and The v
upon experience in mining countries. A bich de
years work exhausted the surface diggip d. W
and the owners of costly buildings and OH a fu
valuable improvements in placer mining { level
tons suddenly realized the fact that they ph of
made a great mistake. Their property EST levt
came comparatively worthless and in maj yleldil
instances the owners abandoned it and wa the lie
dered off to new fields in search OF oil wer lev
diggings. Many old miners from the wd " mac
who have witnessed the great depreciation ny mel
the value of property in scores of mini bdergro
camps, in California and Nevada, have tp rec wi
faith much shaken or utterly destroyed in en. It
pernanence of a purely mining camp. kes rul
While the rule holds good that towns h first
depend upon placer MINES LOT Lnelf SupM DWn Z
are doomed to early decay and. ultima bout
abandonment it does not follow that quad ling da
mining camps are destined to the sad n stan
fate. The mines at Virginia City, bunding
vada, were first opened about twenty ye
"so' o''s'""' 'o'a''o"s "pon Tue 20 At the
y -" N"'','" 'ee' III 'e"s'n' essing
finest machinery and most expensive wd !, 10 -,
were placed upon them. The town gj 49,, IN
rapidly and a city containing fifteen or twed Nm tho
Thousand inhabitants was built at the foot u in -.
MI ''s i"'s was ''' u9o" 'he O e being
u ii'n oHo ''e' 'ns"a'a oNy ID N1 the A
'a'se ni''i'"s '"up a"o Will cneaper lay cunt h
the upper levels of its mines can furDi
millions of tons of ore for tu
he''' 'a'r u ou''''e Tile preSehts Nothing
the next generation of men, and still b ,he wa,
robust quartz producer. Mexico aud Ie civ a.,
have silver mines that have been worked ,, and
centuries, ard with the improved machine now
of to-day for extracting the precious mel mn San
from ores they are producing annually la N ba no
amounts of bullion than ever before. ,ro,
With these facts before us there need be ban ,,o
"pp'e" u" u .'s''u " IL 9'"''"s Inc, havI
Butte. 1t is not built upon the prospects
one nora half a dozen lodes, but upon
known existence of at least twenty para
lodes in this district, and each lode a boud AT lhe N
capable, when developed. of supporting ID 'he
large town. Upon each one of these lode Ie ol 10
is estimated there are npon AN aver eh run
three thousand feet of paying ore discover N'ei
making in the aggregate II! miles of sI ~ 'N'i
bearing ore bodies varying in width fl nue. Il
four to twenty feet. The contigu NC "o"
mining districts contain lodes that bid fail ~ 10"
equal III extent and richness the most prom el el'o
ing Ones in this. Basing our calculations u s"elti
on these facts it is evident tina, tho MINIS in gold
and around Butte are capable Of sustainH "esV sh
population of twenty five thousand souls |"
all indefinite period of time. From
hasty glance at its almost ineXhaustible PUBIC
sources we may safely say that Butte
soon become one of the richest, most I The foil,
porous and inviting miuing camps in request,
United States. 1t is as permanent as the commit
~erlaSting hills bv which it IS surrounded. amiuatiO
1ments {
.. ! present