The Elk Mountain pilot., 1882-03-23

hold the claim for one year from the
following December For instance,
claim is discovered in July, 1852,
assessment work done then there
need not be any more work in 1887,
and the owner has until Dec. s1st.
1883, to make his annual assessment
of 500 for 1855, and an annual assess
ment must be done in the develop
ing and improving each year until a
patent Is obtained. THIS prospecting
is becoming better understood. Men
that are successful have gained knoHl-
edge y experience.
Mining, too, rs being reduced to
business principles. Men Of money
and brains can see it is not all luck.
Mining, like all other classes of busi-
ness, must have some general princi-
pies to govern it. 1t Is not the best
r"prospeci l,oi:." that makes the best
mlne, always. Neither does it follow
that a poor prospect hole will not
make a good mine. Nearly every
camp or locality has seen a rich pros
pect hole play out, and very ordi-
nary looking prospect develop into a
good mine. A mine is not developed
from a prospect hole in day. A true
hssure vein may require months, yes,
even years, of labor and thousands of
dollars to be expended in labor, before
it will pay any dividends, but after
the hssure vein is developed and the
leads run from the Shaft and the ore
got out then they begin to pay. A
prospector has not generally the
amount OF money necessary to develop
the prospect after he has discovered
it. So Re is on the lookout tor some
one that has the money. Perchance
bonanza may be bought for a few
hundred or few thousand dollars,
which in few months may bring the
purchaser as much every day as the
prospect cost him. The "Ruby Chief
in our camp, is taking out from 500
to $500 per day and it is only pros
pect.T TEE shaft is 90 feet deep, the
level about So feet, but the pay strea!;
is now ) feet wide and will run $500
per ton In silver ; the "Forest Queen" "
too, is making its owners rich. The
"Blue Bird" is taking out mineral
enough to more than pay for the sink
ing of the shafts. The prospector
generally has his ''pard'' with him.
If you should happen to see them in
the evening you would see one or two
horses grazing near by. One of the
prospectors would Be making bread if
they we're old timers, and the country
new. The bread making would be
done by mixing the dough in the sack,
then putting the salt and baking pow
der in hole made in the flour, and
then pouring water in and stirring
until the batter becomes thick and
keeping the dry -four between the sack
and batter until enough dry -four is
added to make a dough that can be
handled. Then if they have a Dutch
oven there they will bake it in that,
but more than likely the dough will
be placed in frying pan and clap
jacks" made. After the 1ap-jacks
have finished baking, then the bacon
IS fried. An empty baking powder
can and drill answers for a coffee
mill. The supper will consist of fried
bacon, fap-jacks, black coffee, and
possible some stewed dried fruit or
molasses. The plates and cups, if
they have any, are tin. The plates
are rinsed off generally with the sur-
plus hot coffee. As a rule the stranger
is welcome to the best they have. But
woe unto the sneak thief or dead beat.
A person is expected to have his own
blankets with him when he is prospec
ting or travelling around among the
camps. A wagon sheet generally
makes the tent for the prospector.
You will find men that are well edu-
Gated. men of all professions and
trade. We saw camp olprospectors
one night in which there were three
doctors, four lawyers and one minis
ter. The life Of the prospector has
It's pleasures and It's hardshlps. with