Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1882-08-20
UTING
A Business. Like Discussion OF its
Merits and Dement'S.

A Business-Like Discussion of its
Merits and Demerits.
The question of whether the tributing
system is of benefit to.the camp or not is be-
ing discussed in Eureka, and all the points
pro and con brought forward. The ques-
ton of benefit, as far as the mines outside
of Ruby Hill are concerned, is one of the
greatest importance to every miner and
merchant in this and adjoining districts.
Mine owners claim that in some instances
tributers instead of sending their waste to
the surface fill up all the available open
ings in the mine, leaving it in such a con.
dition as to make prospecting for ore ex-
ceedingly expensive, even beyond the
ordinary risks. The miners claim that
| while certain tributers make money very
fast, the majority make less than one dol
lar a day. Our business men say that
of all the tributers employed on Ruby Hill
less than one-fourth obtain sufficient from
their pitches to pay their monthly ex-
penses. The owners of a-large number of
mining claims on Adams Hill, Prospect
Mountain, Secret Canyon, Pinto and other
districts, declare that they have gone as
far as their means would permit them in
prospecting, and it is only just and proper
that they should receive the encourage
ment that their energy and enterprise de-
serve. There is a faint suspicion that
those who are bowling against the tributing
system on general principles, are non
producers and have not even q ten-cent
piece invested in a single legitimate mining
enterprise in this district. Now, is it not
fair to qualify, and before condemning the
tribute system ask if it has not its certain
advantages? If a man is possessed of
sufficient courage and enterprise to develop
a mine from a mere surface prospect, aud
is forced to quit for want of further means
to carry on his explorations (mines that
pay from the grass roots are very ~scarce)
does he not deserve encouragement or
assistance at the hands of miners, mechan-
les and business men of the community
The tribute system may save many a min
ing enterprise from absolute failure and
be of the greatest possible benefit to a
community. The practiced miner and
the mine-owner may each be greatly bene-
fitted by the tribute system if it is carried
out on true business principles. 1t is sell
dom that a miner will take a tribute
"pitch" on chances altogether against
him. In the Ruby Hill mines a miner
will take q tribute "pitch'' where there is
q small seam Of ore that may be followed,
even if it does not assay So per ton; or he
will take his chances in apparently barren
limerick if it is in the vicinity of q worked
out chamber or well-known ore body, but
will not take altogether desperate chances.
In the mines on Prospect Mountain, or
any locality distant from Ruby Hill, the
average Ruby Hill miner does not care to
take chances on a lease (or tribute 'spitch,"
which literally is the same thing) claiming
that the veins are too small to pay them
for taking chances. The records, how
ever, show that by leasing in these mines
good wages may be obtained, and in some
cases snug little fortunes may be made.
For instance, a few years ago Mike Lyons
and four or five others cleared $3.50, 900 in
five months on q lease of the Ell Dorado
mine on Prospect Mountain. Subsequent
ly Owen Riley and one gladden. cleared
$40, 600 during the space Of seven months
from a lease Of the same mine. Almost
similar results have been obtained from
leasing the Industry mine or Prospect
Mountain. The Grant mine was ct one
time leased to four or five men who cleared
over $50, 900 in six mons tbs. Other mines
have given equally good results. Among
mines that have from time to time yielded
good wages (some OF them far better than
ordinary days pay to men working under
lease are the Macon City, Lone Pine,
Adams Hill Con-, Oriental & Belmont,
Bullwhacker, Williamsburgh, Idaho, Silver
West and General Lee, situated on Adams
Hill the Mountain Boy and Kentuck, sit
uated south of Adams Hill the Adelphi,
Piantoni, Matamoras, Orange, Dunder-
berg, Lemon, Excelsior, Connolly, Califor-
mia & Silver King, Banner and Alexandria,
situated on Prospect Mountain the Res
que, Queen, Uncle Sam, Diagonal, Mary
land and Hercules, situated on Silverado
Mountain, Pinto District. These, howev-
err, are only a small number of the many
mines situated within a few miles of Ruby
Hill that have been worked probably I'M
der the lease or ~tributing system, and there
is no telling what good results may be OBJ
tanned from many Others under the same
plan.