The Republican journal., 1883-07-19
Scientific Mining.

A few evenings since, couple of min
ing men, both strangers to each other,
met in the reading room of the Walker
house. The conversation turned ON the
mineral development of the west, and
presently one of the men remarked, "If
You want to see mining on a big scale,
Just go to South Utah"
Chow big?' said the other, quietly.
"Why, the Big Hole mine that | am
connected with, has the deepest shaft
and the biggest workings in the world"
GLOW deep?' said the little old man.
"lou can't measure it, because if we
stopped work long enough to see how deep
the shaft was, it would materially inter
fere with the bullion product When a
boy falls down that shaft he strikes the
bottom grandfather"
"Y0u must have a big payroll ?"
''Ne 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 bank and telegraphed mo-
hey orders, that system saved lis such an
awful wear and tear on the cages. The
miners live down there and rear their
families. They got an underground city
bigger'n Salt Lake, with regular char
ter and municipal elections twice a 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 condition Perfect
paradise for sports. What do you think
OF that for a mine ~
Here the stranger, who was Califor-
nian, threw his leg carelessly over the
arm of chair, and lighting fresh cigar,
replied in a deep, earnest tone
81 don't think much of your mine.
/ You work too much for small results
When your mine plays out you have lot
OF old machinery on your hands, and
where are you? You mine after prim-
tive methods, like all new countries. 1t
takes experience and headwork to tackle
the industry in the proper shape With
your mine you must be Oh the ground in
person, and have any amount of men to
look after this department or that. Now,
| have a bigger mine than yours. 1t is
located in Storey county, somewhere in
the northern part, believe, and run it
quite up to the handle with one or two
aSSlStantS.'
"How deep might the shaft be? ?"
1T might be pretty deep if | allowed
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 know
it. You can fool away a good deal of
good, hard coin on hosting works."
GLOW in thunder do you run your
mine 7"
con the assessment plan, sir. That's
the latest and most improved method.
We have 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. keep man in Virginia
at 800 month to superintend the loca-
ton and write weekly letters, and | stay
in San Francisco in my office on Pine
street, and levy the assessments every
sixty days; that's as often as the law al
lows I'm the president, board of trus-
tees, secretary, treasurer and everything
more especially the treasurer. OF course
draw the salaries for all the offices, and
when | get through drawing salaries
turn the rest over to the agent in Virginia
to pay off the hands. BY not employing
any hands, he saves enough to pay HIM
self This is what call scientific mining,
sir. You get the silver out of the pockets
Of stockholders and leave the argentiter-
Gus and auriferous deposits in your claim
for your children, who can go right ahead
and develop the mine just as soon as the
public quit putting up, which isn't at all
likely to happen. AS soon as a man drops
on the game he dies, and the newcomers
all have to learn for themselves. As long
as people are being born in Nevada and
California my mine will run on like a
chronometer clock"
"But," said the Utah man, "my style
of mining keeps lots of men at work.
$50 does mine" "quoth the Golden Gate
chap. Thousands of men are working
night and day to pay the assessments. 1t
keeps the country as busy asa beehive"
and the speaker sauntered to the tele-
graph office to order assessment No. }6.
| Denver (COl.} News.