The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-01-17
Denver lcol.l News.l
Scientific Mining.

A few evenings since, couple OF mining
men, both strangers to each other, met In the
reading room of the Walker house. The con-
yersation turned on the mineral development
of the west, and presently one OF the men re-
marked, 'sIf you want to see mining on big
scale, just go to South Utah."
"How big?" said the other quietly.
"Why, the Big Hole mine that i am connect
ed with, has the deepest shaft and the biggest
workings in the world"
"How deep?" said the little old man.
"You can't measure it, because if we stopped
work long enough to see how the shaft was, 1t
would materially interfere with the bullion
product. When boy falls down that shalt he
strikes the bottom grandfather"
"You must have big payroll
"Ws used to send money down to the hands
in cages until the workings got so deep that
we didn't get the winter account settled until
way along in the spring. So we started a bank
and telegraphed money orders, that system
saved us such an awful wear and tear on the
cages. The miners live down there and rear
their families. They got an underground city
b;ooer,n Salt Lake, with regular charter and
| municipal election twice o year and have horse
| racing every Saturday. Finest four mile track
| in the world, lit with electric light. No mud,
no dust, always in the same eondlton. Perfsc, Zee,
| naradise for sports. What do you think oil tna'
Ao Here the stranger, who was Californian,
| threw his leg careessly over the arm OF chair
| and lighting fresh cigar, replied IN Deep
| earnest tone:
| too much for small results. When your mine
| nIavs out YOU have lot of old machinery on
your hands, and where are you? You mine aitel
| primitive methods, like all new countries. Il
| takes experience and head work to tackle tn'
| industry in the proper shape With your mlns
YOU must be on the ground IN person. ana navt
| snv amount of men to look after this depart
/ ment or that. Now, have bigger mine thar
| yours. 1t is located in Storey county, some
| where in the northern part, believe, and ruI
it quite up to the handle Win one OK '"o @s
sistants." "a,
@How deep might the shaft be?"
aft might be pretty deep if allowed tn
men to rush forward and overdo tne tnihg' pu
at present there is no shaft at ALL
aHoisting works up? :.
"No: no hoisting works--not II / know II
You can fool away good deal OF good, mart
coin on hosting works" a.,
ssHow in thunder do you run your mine!
sOn the assessment plan, sir. That's the la'
est and most improved method. We nave
man of the mine hung up in the company
office, made by one of the most competent ar
| lists on the coast. Now, when we nave q soo'
man Of the lower workings we don't need an,
works to speak of. / keep man In virginl
at $50 a month TO superintend the location ant
write weekly letters, and stay in San frar
cisco in nv Office on Pine street, and levy tn
assessments every sixty days; that's as often
the law allows I'm the president board
trustees, secretary, treasurer and everything
more especially the treasurer. vi course
draw the salary for all the offices, and when
oet through drawing salaries turn the res
over to the agent in Virginia to pay OIL IN
hands. By not employing any hands, ne save
enough to pay himself, This is what ca
scientific mining, sir. You get the silver OF
of the pockets Of stockholders and leave tn
argeni ferrous and auriferous deposits in yoI
claim for your children, who can go rigt
ahead and develop the mine just as soon
: the public quit putting up, which isn't at q
likely to happen. AS soon as man drops
the came he dies, and the newcomers all hay
to learn for themselves. As long as people al
l being born in Nevada and California my mil
will run on like q chronometer clock"
, "But," said the Utah man, ''my style OF mi
ing keeps lots of men at work. !"
$50 does mine," quoth the Golden Gate cha
eThousands Of men are working night and di
to nav the assessments 1t keeps the count
as busy as beehive" and the speaker sau
tered to the telegraph office to order assessme
! No 36.