The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-02-02
From the Daily Of Friday,
Down Brakes.

AS q journal whose duty it ia to
give news of interest to the public al
large, the MINER has published,
among many other items, several
from the Coeur d'Alene mines W.
give the news as We hear it or find il
In our exchanges, and do not MOI
cannot vouch for its truthfulness.
That element in the news Is left ia
the readers judgment. This morning
we give a batch of notes that are cal
culated to excite the excitabie and
arouse the less hopeful to venture in
the promised land. While there NAV
be some little fire where there is SO
much smoke-sOme truth among
much that is undoubtedly false, still
right now is q good time to put on
brakes.
AS is said a man without money
and without provisions has no busi-
ness there. An "old-timer'' needn't
be told this, but there are a great
many men who propose to 90 to the
new mines who are not ''Old-timers'
and who know no more about placer
mining than a Chinaman does about
Greek. Unless such are we'll "heeled'
they would better remain where they
are until there is q demand there for
labor. At present the ground Is COW
cred Oy five to seven feet of snow.
This will not wholly disappear before
toe first OF May, and 1t may not be
gone at that time. Talk as they may
prospecting cannot be carried on with
seven feet of snow on the ground.
Again it will be observed that
about all the highly colored reports
from the new mines come from par
ties interested in the sale of town
lots or mining claims or from those
who are engaged in some business
which q stampede to the mines will
help. So all these reports may be
taken with many grains of allow
ance.
And then again If, as it Is reported,
still richer diggings have been dis
covered As miles northeast of Eagle
City than exist at the latter place, !
there Is a country there that
ten or twenty or even fifty thousand
men cannot fully occupy. They may |
mark the trails, cut the paths, make
the roads, build the towns and pre-
pare the way for others to follow |
without reaping the reward which
belongs to them.
1t was not the forty-niners that
made money in California. They
merely opened the way for others.
Many of them died In tie work. and
thousands of others were untitled by
ruined he ,lth to take advantage of
the opportunities they had created.
History will repeat itself in this
Ceur d'Alene business. The pioneers
there must bear the brunt of the bat
tie against all the obstacles which
Nature has raised against the gold
seeker and they are many. He
must lew out the paths and roads,
build houses. saw-mills and all the
necessary conveniences for sue
placer mining before placer
mines-nO matter how rich they may
be made to pay.
All this will not be- accomplished tn
one season It requires time, labor
ind money to do it, and when the
way is made easy the cooler heads
Who come after are quite as apt to
make a fortune out of the mines as
he pioneers. To sum up, if the
country is what 1t Is repres ented to
re, rich and extensive, and equal to
in its pallniest days, our
dvice is to stay away for the
resent. If it is not, If there are IN.
Y a few paying eulches or ravines,
tay away. There are more there
low than can possibly find employ
aent. But under no circumstances
ave a paying business or a paying 6
to take chances in a placer -,
country. 1t won't pay. Put .
own the brakes, 8