The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-12-07
Mining Property In the Rocky Mount
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IN the Rocky Mountains is unprofitahle,
Gold mining, unless in placer ground,
has proved to be almost universally a
losing business. Silver mining compan-
les, unless the veins worked Be of phe.
nominal richness, pay no dividends to
their stockholders. At present there is
considerable excitement over. some SIN.
posed discoveries of copper. ore in Wv
oming. The finders of these copper
mines overlook the fact that a vein of
copper ore situated in the Rocky Mount
aims, region where the transportation
to the distributing points is controlled
py the Land Grant railroads, and when
from these points to the mines everything
has to be hauled in wagons, is worthless
and will not be worth any thing It'll the
mines of Lake Superior, that practically
control the American markets, are ex-
hausted, and the management OF the
Land Grant railroads has been sharply
coerced by hostile and lawful legisla-
ton. S' sias'sas-s-'i@5 sEssf ~seo -
What is the trouble with the Rocky
Mountain mines? There is no trouble
with the mines. The fault lies in the
management of the smines,s mills and
furnaces. Capable mine managers are
scarce in the mountains, and able mill
men are still searcer.. Before. the ma.
]onty OF these mines can pay q profit great
changes must take place. The mining
districts must have cheaper transporta-
ton, cheaper labor. and better mining
laws--laws that will aid instead of re-
tarding the development of the. district.
The fact that mine management is an
intricate business, requiring for success
rare characteristics of mind, must be
realized by mine owners Itis true that
there are hundreds of capable mine and
mill managers in the Rocky Mountains. 4
The majority Of the really capable ones
were graduated from the works. But
Tor one competent man found in charge
OF q valuable mine there are five. .incom-..
petent men having charge Of five equally
valuable mines. There is one success
and five failures on veins equally rich
and easy to work. A mine is not simply
q hole in the ground, butt is an under
ground city, where contract work should
be used to. break vein of ore. It is the
managers business to supply the in
thabhants of this town with air., and
to- cheapiy transport and elevate the /
ore they cheaply break. and prevent
creeps, falls, crushes and flooding. He
should have thorough knowledge sof
the actual costof breaking ore of differ
ent degrees Of hardness, and this knowl-
edge should be supplemented with 1
sound understanding of mechanics. A
mill man who understands his business
has OF necessity to be a chemist, and to
be. able to turn his chemistry to practical
use. Not one so-called chemist in a
hundred can do this. So We zss's
A stock company is formed in coun- |
try town. The, lumber merchant, who
has a local reputation as an able finans
cier. gained by a sharp deal in lath or
No. 2.shingle, is elected President. The
druggist, the owner Of dead4shot liver
pill; the County Sheriff, long-leggefij
ignoramus from Kentucky, where he I
was afailure as hemp grower; q broken
drown saloon keeper. q acouples of gro.
and a few farmers fill up the I
board Of direction Not one of thesesf
men has the least idea of mining They
buy a prospect hole and claim to have
mine. They elect general manager.
and hesis sent to the mines, No care is
exercised in the selection of manager.
have known carpenters, saloon Keepers
coopers, blaeksmiths, dry goods clerks.
drug clerks, coal dealers, drovers, indeed, I
men from all kinds of occupations meta
phorically taken by the coat, collar and
hauled from the region. OF agriculture to
.he land Of miAeral, and placed in Charge
of mines. The only quaificatlpn the d.
-ectors OF mining company organized
n the agricultural districts expect in their
manager isthatshe be contented on wages,
40 larger than those received by clerks,
oartenders or journeymen workmenF IN
he town where the company was organ
zed. "a mine is nothing but a hole in
he ground;" but it proves to be hole
hat swallows all the hard earned savings
)f the directors and stockholders before
hey realize that skill is required in the
Of the hole, and, .thatsthe
manager they sent to the mine had not
,rains enough to superihtend the digging +
# post hole nor sufficient knowledge.
# mechanics to enable him to run hand Y
;offee mill 81 ss4zss.4ss 8
Again. these mismanagersr of smines
IRE inflated with the Importance Of their I
positions and they wish to have exten-Is
i've works under their controls, So long
'efore they have enough ore ii sight to
Justify the'expenditure, they recoanmend h
be. erection Of O. stamp mill, The news
hat the company is building stamp Y
Mill will help Sell stock. The directors /.
gree to the expenditure. They are
'robably sincere in their belief that there
) use for q stamp mill ~ The mill Isl +
'mlt. The manger of Ethe. mine thinks
e can run it. "It is no trick to run q
nil. just shovel the Gre under the
lamps and have plenty. of, water
nd plenty of quicksilver. ANY one
an run mill;', and he u ii put in /
barge Of it in addition to the mine. He
nows nothing about mining. He knows
othing about milling. He sinks all thes
honey the company can raise, and then
he mine suspends work That IS d fair
istory of the operations Of hundreds of
lines in the Recky Mountains; and of a
undred mines SO misnianaged ninetys =
We should have remained und deveIoped
ntil wages fell and !, transportation
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