The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-12-10
PLAIN TALK FROM 4 MINER.
What he Thinks About Eastern Investors IN
Mines md MetMlluryicnI Proce.ses.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-lSir: l have
heretofore noticed several very glowing &C.
counts OF the richness of the Georgia gold
fields from the pen OF an enthusiastic CORE
spondent who writes to you from Atlanta. Your
usually carefully edited columns contained
yesterday presumably from the same source.
statements which, though ludicrously absurd
to mining men. may possibly tend to delude
still further this much-gulled community. Per-
nit me therefore to say:
I. These gold fields are not the richest In
the United States" Fifteen States and Terri
tories outrank Georgia in point of annual
product. Out of n total production Of $33. &c.,
663 gold in the United States in $780, only
$S1 ,0l9 was mined in Georgia. or o. "a per cent.
as against sl7 ,l50,9il gold yielded by Califor-
mia alone, during the same year. or 5i.3S per
cent. Gold mining in Georgia dates from about
since ELAPSED has the yield reached 1.-THE OF
Go Col Nevada Idaho. Dakota. Montana. OF
any Of the other promi men mining regi3ns
however gullible. have paid s., 600 900 for
tract of land in Georgia guaranteed to con-
tain gold mine" Tie market value q all the
Tennessee Maine. and New Hampshire does
not reach tina. amount. though the. nominal
wildcats included. is in the hundreds Of mil
lions. What, the English promoters" have
done was evidently merely to bond the property
on paper forthe $4,000. 000-paymentt to be made
chiefly in stock.
III. Your correspondent "B. O." states that
the ores are " the richest ever known. but so
impregnated with sulphur IA to be impractca-
bile for mining" This. suppose. means that
the ore is auriferous pyrtes. which cannot OF
course. DO amalSamated raw. Such ores how
ever. can be concentrated. roasted. chlorinated
and leached at q profit. il they contain SIS per
ton: for this is being done on u large scale in
many districts in the far West.
Nv. process by means OF electricity and
silver cloths OF desulphurizing gold ores to II
fine assay" is simply idiotic For the benefit
OF New York investors the fact should be clear
~ stated that there is no mystery about work
ing any given ore. no matter how rebellious.
The difficulty is purely an economical one: IL
the ore is not rich enough to pay for expensive
treatment. and not docile enough to submit to
simple battery amalgamation then 1t is worth
less. There is no necessity and no room for
patented processes. Eastern capitalists have
been humbugged sufficiently by ignorant pat
entees OF Quack nostrums for working rebel
lious ores.
While on this subject permit me to ask THE
SUN What has become, of the man with the lead
few months ago. and who proposed to reduce all
ores at 81 per ton? What has become OF the
other man who reinvented the dredging boats
for Southern river sandsp Where is the Rob
ertson process And how do New Workers who
invested in these and hundreds OF other bril-
liant enterprises like the situation now? Are
they any better Off than the buyers OF Black
Hills, Placer. State Lines, Chrysolite. Little
Pittsburgh. Tuscarora. and the other worked
out mines and wildcats which have been floated
on this market2 MINER