Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-09-08
LETTER FROM coLomADo.


Special Correspondence.
LrADvLLE, Col, August %, 1882.
Probably the best known and most IA.
nous OF NIL the groups Of mines around
Leadville Is the one which gave Governor
Tabor his big strike--tIie Little Piitsburg.
The manner Of its discovery has often been
told. Mr.. Tabor, who then kept u store
on California Clutch, was induced 10 "grub
stake" George Hook and August ltisc'e,
both without means. Bv this IL is meant
that he was TO furnish these men provis-
ions and tools Tor prospecting for n Ger
tain length Of time for half interest in
whatever they discovered. The men wen,
up on what is now called Fryer Hill aud
commenced digging. Mr.. Fryer hnd al.
ready begun operations at this point, and
the men loca led their claim just above his
shaft. Mr.. Tabor has often said since that
il he had known where the men were 60.
ing to begin he would never have risked
anything on their success, and more than
once before the ore was struck he thought
of Withdrawing his GRUB stake" But in
a few days Mr.. Fryer struck vein and
opened up what is called the "New Dis
covery" mine, while shortly after Mr.. Ia
boris partners found the same vein and
named their mine the Little Pittsburg. In
these two mines have been uncovered the
most remarkable bodies of ore yet discov-
cred in this whole region. Mr.. Tabor bought
out his two grub stake partners for $780,
900, after which he took out of the mine
three or four hundred thousand dollars
worth OF ore in five or six months and
then sold his claim TO Chafiee and Moffatt
for 81 900 600.
The first discovery here, short time
previous to the two just mentioned, was
the Iron mine. The history of this dis
covery is the history OF the beginning OF
| the great excitement here, and has already
| been referred to in former letter. 1t is
now owned hy Mr.. Stevens, ore OF the orig
innl discovercrs. nnd Mr. Letter, II mer-
chant prince OF Chicago. In 1878 Mr.
Letter was travelling in Colorado for his
health and while nj Leadville early in the
season Mr.. Stevens offered to sell him a
half interest in the hole he had dug for
| 10000. Letter thought he could afford to
lose that amount, being very wealthy
man, aud took the offer. In that trans.
action he bought nj least $500,0 900, MS the
mine has realized more thnn 81 100000
already. In the winter following these
discoveries, Judge Pendry, Of Leaven-
worth, Kansas, came to Leadville and hav.
ing selected II spot on whit is now called
Carbonate Hill built fire to melt of the
snow and ice and began to sink perpen.
dicnlar shaft. Everybody in Leadville
laughed at him. They told him the top
that if he went down to the granite he
encouragement and IN defiance of popular
Judgment and that of experts he went OF
until nt depth of So feet lie struck rcl
vein which caused more excitement thal
any other discovery made here, except the
first one. These are few of the earlies
and most important discoveries, and from
, what have given some idea may be olt lin
of the value OF such "find." But thea,
embrace only small portion of the mine
now in operation around Leadville. an
told that there are in all over three hun
dred different mines, besides many smal
1 holes not dignified with the name. From
4 where now write can count the stean
e pipes from twenty-five mines producing
I from ten to two hundred tons of ore pc
d day, aud it does not look much as thongl
3 Lendvilie was "played out" when, beside
e all these, more are being discovered daily
The prospector Is still abroad
: The finding of Carbonate ores mnde
n great revolution in the business of pros
i pecting. Previous to this the discovery O
S mines was profession or occupation will
Its well-undersIood and carefully followe,
3 rules of procedure. The "prospectors" O
i Western mining regions have themselve
e rarely been miners. 1t has not been thei
5 business to develop veins of the preciorl
: metal, or TO take out ore, but they hav
simply been the discoverers, and having
e struck "pay-rock" they have generall
II sold out and moved on to new fields. No
8 does the professional "prospector" go dig
i ding about on the mountain sides IN n
= aimless way hoping to make a strike, b,l
e he proceeds systematically and in some de
d gree scientifically. He searches up am
:" down the guiches for "loat" or delache,
!, pieces of ore that have been broken off am
II washed down tn the stream. Havin
G found "float" OF apparent richness, h
e takes careful note of the position in whic
a il lies and the general contonr of til
IS ground in the vicinity in order to deter
g mine the direction from which it mus
- have come. Then he goes upon the hill
: to find the out-crop, and if successful doe
II no more work upon it than is necessnr
v TO p rove the value OF the mine he has dis
+ covered. BY systematic search like thi'
:, Mr.. Stevens discovered the Iron mine
I But in only few instances has the out
u crop OF one of the Leadville veins bee
y found, and many of the best mines hav
q been discovered by digging,n places wher
II there were no surface Indications of mil,
eral. The "prospe,tor" IN this camp take
8 his pick and spade on his shoulder, ant
i having taken into consideration all til
+ facts brought to light by mines and pros
pect-holes already opened, chooses a spo
: and commences to dig "for lnck" An
! success or failure, here or anywhere e,s'
u is ali lnclS, very much the same AZ draw
: ing prizes or blanks in a lottery.
e SPOT.
J. Ea, man io1o 70 vIooo NJ tl,o y, :,