Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-04-02
MINING ROMANCES.

the largest ana strangeSt OF the flyers
without wings.
MINING RoMANCES.
HOeC Some Of the Biggest Mines Cost Ab-
S"rdty Small Investments.
San Francisco Exchange
There Is always something romantic and
interesting connected with the discovery of
the principal mines of the world, and the
reader never tires of the recital of the little
incidents and adventures leading to the
finding of big bonanza. The famous
mines of Potosi were discovered by an In
dian herder. In chasing a mountain goat
he pulled bush out of the ground, to the
fibres of which a quantity of silver glo-
bules were attached. He concealed his dis
covery for season, but his sudden display
of wealth excited the attention of his
Spanish masters and under torture he
was forced to reveal the locality of the de-
post. These mines have yielded to date
the enormous sum of $2,O00,0O0,000. To
appreciate the magnitude of this sum we
may say that it exceeds the amount ex-
tracted from the bonanza mines of the
ComstOck 10 le twenty times-that is, that
for every dollar the bonanza yielded the
mines of Potosi yielded twenty; or in
Western parlance, 'Potosi has seen the
dollar of the bonanza and gone $40 bet
ter" No wonder Spain became such
wealthy country in the sixteenth and sew
enteenth centuries. There were lots of
Floods, Msckeys, and other bonanza kings
in those days.
In 1858 Comstock of the Comstock lode
visited San Francisco and endeavored to
enlist capital to develop his mines. He
went up and down Front street begging
our merchant princes of that day to aid
him, saying that he had a mountain of
silver-ore on the eastern slope of the Sier-
ras. They laughed at him, and he received
the name of 'crazy Comstock." He re-
turned to his mountain home without
dollar, and it was reserved for Grass Valley
men-Judge Walsh, George Hearst, Joel
Clark, and others-to be the chief instru-
ments in making the wealth of the famous
lode known to the world.
In 1868 a Shoshone Indian, in considora-
ton of square meal and bottle of whis-
Ky, guided John Turner, Applegrath, and
others to the summit of Treasure hill, in
the White Pine district, and there unfolded
to their gaze the riches of the Ebsrhart
mine. Some of this ore was so rich that a
nail could be driven into it as into a'bar of
lead. From chamber in this mine big
enough to turn stage coach and horses
around in ever $5,000,00S was extracted
The Indian has been an important factor
in mine discoveries, both IN South America
and on our own continent. The great
wealth of Tabor, the millionaire miner of
Colorado, arose from $175 worth of grub
furnished by him to some Leadville min
ers. These men discovered the celebrated
Little Pittsburg, Chrysolite, and other
mines, and brought into prominence a
camp which has added nearly $100,O00,O00
| to the worlds wealth since 1879. In 1879
! George d. Robinson was storekeeper in
Leadville with a stock of goods valued at
| $4,000. One day he grub staked" miner
with $50 of provisions. The prospector
| sailed forth and soon afterwards discov-
cred the celebrated Robinson mine of Ten
| Mile district, near Leadville, and Robin
son realized $1,O0O,O00 by his trifing in
vestment of the sum of $50.
In 1879 southeastern Arizona was given
over to the red and ruthless Apache, and
was supposed to be deficient in mineral
wealth. But a daring miner, Edward
| Schiefelin, penetrated the region and
| brought out the news of good ore and
| plenty of it. His sole capital was $3.50,
but to-day he is a millionaire. His spirit
| however, unsubdued, and signing like
Alexander for other worlds to conquer, he
| has sailed to the Arctic, and has there dis
covered rich diggiRgs on the headwaters of
the Yukon river. Alaska will receive
thorough exploration this summer. AS
soon as the country is released from the
! icy embrace of winter the adventurous
miners and prospectors will strike bee
line for the new country. Rock of almost
| fabulous wealth is exhibited in this city.
coming from Alaska, and stories are told
of lodges 100 feet wide full of free gold
Who knows but Humbolt's prophecy, that
in the north the great matrix of gold is to
be found, may be verified this year? Ger
tain it is that the mines of Siberia have
yielded an average of $22,OOO,OOO a year
for the last seventy years; and their pro-
| duct is greater now than ever.
Who Are the GypsieS?
| Charles G. Leland, who, as is we'll known
has made special studies of the Gypsies
and their language, contributes an illus
trated paper to the April Century on s'Vis-