Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1882-03-29
Utah and Nevada.


Walker house, at Salt Lake City, U.
I. The conversation turned on the min
eral developments of the west, and
presently one of the men remarked:
"If you want to sec mining on big
scale, just 60 to southern Utah."
Chow big3" said the other, quitely.
"Why, the Big Hole Mine, that !
am connected with, has the deepest
shaft and the biggest workings in the
world"
"How deep?" said the little man.
"You can't measure it because if we
stopped work long enough to see how
deep the shaft was, it you'd materially
interfere with the bullion product
We dropped line down once and
reeled it out until it broke with its own
weight. When boy falls down that
shaft he strikes the bottom grand
father"
"Must have big payroll"
"We used to send the money down
to the hands in cases until the workings
got so deep that we didn't get the win
ter account settled until way along in
the spring. So we started bank and
telegraphed the money orders. That
system saved us an awful wear and
tear on the cages. The miners live
down there and rear families, They
got an underground city bigger'n Salt
Lake with regular charter and mum
icipal elections twice year. They
publish two daily papers down there
and literary magazine"
Il never heard of the magazine"
sai1 the stranger.
"Of course not, it would be year
old when it got to you. Besides they
hold fair there every year and have
horse racing every Saturday. Finest
four mile track in the world, lit with
electric light. No mud, no dust, al
ways in the same condition. Perfect
paradise for sports. What do you
think of that for mine ?"
Here the stranger, who was Cali
fornian, threw his leg carelassly over
the arm of a chair, and lighting q
cigar, replied in deep, earnest tone :
II don't think much of your mine.
You work too much for small results.
When your mine plays out you have a
lot of old machinery on your hands,
and where are youi You mine after
primitive methods, like all new coun-
tries. It takes experience and head
work to tackle the industry in the
proper shape. With your mine you
must be on the ground in person and
have any amount of men to look after
this department or that. Now, l have
II bigger mine than yours. Its located
in Storey county, somewhere in the
northern part, l believe, and run it
quite up to the handle with one or two
assistants"
"How deep might the shaft be?"
asked the other.
cit might be pretty deep if l allow
ed the men TO rush forward and overdo
the thing. but at present there is no
shaft at ALL"
"Hoisting works up?"
NO; no hosting works; not if l
know it. You can fool away great
deal Of good hard coin on hosting
works."
"How in thunder do you run your
mine p
"On the assessment plan, sir. That's
the latest aud most improved method
We have big map of the mine hung
up in the company's Office, made by
one of the most competent artists on
the coast. Now, when we have good
map of the lower workings we don't
need any works to speak of. We pho,
tograph the Savage hosting work from
the top of the Hale & Norcross trestle-
work--an entirely new view-and call
it by our name, the Bullion Brick.
keep man in Virginia at $50 month
to superiutend the location and write
weekly letters, and stay in San Fran
cisco in my Office on Pine street anc
levy the assessments every sixty days
that's often as the law will allow
I'm the president, board Of trustees
secretary, treasurer and everything
more especially the treasurer. o
course | draw salary for all the offices
and when l get through drawing sala
} ries, | turn the rest over to the agen
in Virginia to pay off the hands. b,
{ not employing any hands he save
enough to ray himself. My regula
income from that mine is 100000
year. and never pick stuek il tn