The Elk Mountain pilot., 1881-10-20
PROFESSOR u IT. S. JACOBS

PROFESSOR u IT. S. JACOBS.
H. S. Jacobs, who is dubbed "Pro-
fes,or" and who has been here this
summer erecting ten stamp mill for
Commodore Webb. comes out in the
Mining Record, of New York, Octo-
Der the 9th, cond-.nning the Ruby
Mining district in most frightful
manner and gives one Of those ex.
plodcd theories on the formation Of
this country Of which every man has a
different one. Now: then, when he
came here, if he had had Commodore
Webb's interest at stake, why didn't
he go and examine the mines before
he spent dollar. instead of that he
goes ahead and completes the mill and
spends over 500, 900 before he ever
knew personally that there was mine
in camp that would produce pouad
Of ore. Way didn', he examine the
camp thoroughly the first thing and
on not finding sufficient ore here suit
able for stamp mill, report to Com
modore Webb, as that gentleman re-
lied on Jacobs being a competent
man, bu, instead Of that he goes on
and spends Webb's money in the erec-
ton of the mill ard; then comes out
and says. their is no ore here. There
is where he commits himself and
shows that he use! ojudgmens. Sup
pose Com. Webb or any other man in
New York was to tell man to come
to Gunnison county and erect -four
ing mill, would it not be right to tell
Mr.. Webb that he did not want -four
ing mill here where there never was a
bushel of wheat raised? certainly, and
that is just what Jacobs ought to have
found out the first th;ig, and on find
ing no ore here for stamp mill, he
should have said, "Commodore don t
spend another dollar there" Who
ever heard of such a foolish piece OF
business. Com. Webb has no expcr-
ience whatever in practical mining or
the treatment of ores and it is too b I'd
that he was duped into spending so
much money by man, who evident
ly knew little more OF the business
than the Commodore.
Jacobs has told at least two mine own
ers of which we can prove, that the mill
would not treat ore that had mere
than three per cent. zinc or four per
cent. lead. Now anybody who has
ever seen these mines knows that
there is not mine in camp but what
the ores are highly charged with either
or both of these base metals. Whv
didn':: he find that out too?
Jacobs also say that Webb was in
duced to build the mill by mine own
ers, who pledged sufficient ore for ten
or twenty stamps. Now then the
history Of this mill is simply this: In
the fall of -, the first year this camp
was di; overed, and before there was
a mine developed enough to know
what process was needed to treat the
ore, certain parties took fine speci-
mems of ruby silver, said to have come
from the Forest Queen nine, and
claiming, so we have been informed,
that they owned four mines or pros
poets that would produce that kind Of
ore; and on that ground the Good
Enough Mining and Milling Com
pany was formed in Wheeling, West
Virginia. In order to raise none,
enough to commence work, they went
to New York and induced Commodore
Webb to take hold of it and put up
some money, representing the matter
IN the most gorgeous manner. So in
the spring Of 80 the company, head
ed by ]. R. I. Lindley, as president,
arrived here with several large freight
teams while the snow was vet ten feel,
deep, so to speak. The first thing
that was brought in on s'eds was Il
huge fire proof safe, that looked quite
odd dumped on to snow bank. Then
came doors, windows. etc., for offices,
which was 1t least month before
there was saw mill in camp or lum-