The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-11-14
A NEW INDUSTRY.
A Few Men Make a Stake IN a
Long Neglected Enterprise.

There are industries and-indus-
tries. Some pay from the grass roots
down, while others require years OF
patient labor to yield All increase of
shekels to the bold investor. There
are those of which capital, ever
timid, fight shy, and others again
which are tackled without fear by
the penniless but enterprising. It's OF
the latter class we snail now speak.
We heard of an enterprising man
who, some years ago, invested his
little all in branding iron and three
old steers. His neighbors spoke of
him pityingly. ard gently tapped
their foreheads when they
mentioned his venture to
strangers But he needed
not the SCOTS and jeers of these
around him. He knew what he was
about. He embarked in his enter
prise to stay, and by strict attention
to business, and by practicing the
most rigid economy, added to an ex-
pert use of his branding iron he was
in the course Of three or four years,
able to show up herd Of six hum
dred head Of as fine cows and young
steers as ever grazed on the )uxuriant
grasses Of the Missouri, and this was
done without his purchasing single
additional hoof. But that industry is
now over done. The field il full
ly occupied by experts in the bu 81
ness and the poor, but honest begin
ner finds little encourage ment 70 en-
gage in the enterprise.
Still there are other industries in
this far West in which the strug-
Cling, horny handed laborer may
gather few dollars in the sweat Of
his brow and keep the wolf from his
door. One OF them has been recently
opened up in the vicinity OF Butte
and pursued with encouraging re-
suits. But little capital--a jaekass
will do Tor starter-dark nights and
a dump pile of rich ore are about all
that are required to begin with.
With this outfit few poor but enter
prising individuals have been carry
ing on a lucrative business above
Waikeryilie- This is the way
they conducted it. During the
day time the members Of the
firm would visit the several dump
piles remote and near to their base
Of operations, and bring good Judges
of high grade ore they could easily
lay aside such large pieces as suited
their aesthetic tastes. AT night the
jackass would be forced into service
and by means of baskets arranged
upon the pack saddle the ''find'
would be taken to their "cache''
Some of this ore was shipped to Salt
Lake and the rest sold to mill own
ers here; in some instances the buy
er being the party from whom the
ore was taken. We have not learned
that competing firms have been or
ganized.
In one instance a fine profit was
realized by earring lot of
ore thus obtained to al al
most worthless dump and
carefully arranging it over its face.
When it had been thoroughly coated
with high grade ore the enterprising
manipulation invited an ore pur-
chaser to inspect it ard make an Of
fer for the entire lot. The inspection
being satisfactory. an offer was made,
which was Immediately accepted.
That purchaser will look below the
surface when he buys another dump
pile. 1t is thus that honest industry
is rewarded here and new industries
are opened up. Still, we would not
advise the tenderfoot to engage in the
business we have mentioned. There
are certain risks in it which may be
fully as fatal to the operator as that
which attends an attempt to break a
half.inch rope with ones neck.