The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-05-15
MINING SHARPS.
WESTERN sToRY-TELLERs THAT AS
SAVERS HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
A Specimen of Silver Ore Worth S1S, 900
per Ton-A Mexican Specimen From
COlOrado-The Mistake a
SwindIer Made.
New York Sun. ]

New York SUM-
Some big liars come into the assayers
Office once in q while, a downtown
assayer said incidentally in talk about
mining property, but l think the tive
biggest liars l have ever seen came into
my office last summer. not together, thank
goodness, for if they had l would have
Kicked them out for supposing that
might be an internal fool. Instead
listened to each, and then gave him
piece of my mind. The first was about
45 years of age, sharp-featured, long
haired, and with the appearance of
western miner. He carelessly unwrapped
newspaper from lump of silver ore,
and asked in business like way to have
it assayed. l picked up the lump and
said off-hand: There's no need of having
that assayed It's 70 per cent silver at
first glance And it was 1t was about
as rich specimen as l had seen in some
time. 1t was worth at least $4,000
ton.
But l want it assayed, he said
I've got drift of ore like that six feet
wide, and want to sell it. l don't want
to lie about it, and | want to know just
what it is worth.
about four days after the assay four Oh
five respectable old gentlemen came into
the Office together, and one of them I'M
wrapped piece of ore, and said: VIII
you please assay. this for us? We are
thinking of buying a silver mine, and this
Is some of the ore. What do you think il
Is WORTH
+" Excuse me, but l have assayed this
ore within five days, said.
a" y e-e-s,' the spokesman of the party
said, hesitatingly. we understand that
It has been assayed, but we thought il
would be safer to have it assayed for Us
,oIx Z.
out to be worthT
" Twelve or fifteen thousand dollars
ton, said, not wishing to be too particu
lar at first, III see
"While was looking over my record
book ] noticed the gentlemen looking
knowingly at one another.
=" 1T was SIS, 000,' l remarked. turning
toward them. 1t didn't start them bit.
" 'Thats pretty rich, isn't it?'
q Decidedly So Where's the miner
asked.
In Colorado We have drift there
six feet wide
g Colorado" 1 exclaimed That ore
never has seen Colorado That's from
some Mexican mine.
"I knew what was talking about when
/ said that, because 1 can pick out Color
ado ore from 2, 600 specimens l can pick
out ore from the Comstock lode anywhere
you put it. After getting a few moro
particulars about the man who wanted to
sell the mine, said: Gentlemen ldon't
want you taken in by nybody, and espec-
tally by one of those western mining
sharps Instead of taking my word fol
this assay, go to somebody else. and I've
no doubt you'll find many who will be as
honest with you as / intend to be, and
have your ore. assayed. Take some of
this dust with you and see if it be like
your ore'
But we can buy this mine for only
$50, 900, the first speaker said.
Z" 1fyou can find mine where the ore
is all like that, said, I'll find men who
will give you $50, 900, 900 for it. That
isn't true specimen, and, besides it isn't
from Colorado. It's a rich find from
Some old mine in Mexico.
"They looked rather glum and went
out really pitied them. The next
day the western man came in to see me-
/ gave it to him hot. Look here said,
we've had Just about enough of such fell
lows as you are around here. WhCn you
come on here to sell mine, don't try to
palm off Mexican ore for Colorado ore
Take my advice, and don't show that lump
to any miner, because he will know it in
minute, Now skip
al have never seen the old gentlemen
since guess they found somebody who
told them the truth as l did.
1.-THE other chap was a short, dumpy
fellow. He wanted to have everything
very secret He had piece of ore that
knew was Mexican, and it was q long time
before could get anything out of him.
At length he said I'm commercial
traveller, and while l was in Mexico this
summer / struck an old trail over the
mountains that thought, would take me
by q short cut to where wanted to go.
took it. but it was the toughest ground
ever struck About noon l was almost
overcome. and | dropped of my mule
near q shady place to catch a nap and
rest. NV mule, that was wandering
about, awoke me after a while by nearly
stepping on me. In pulling my blanket
of the hump that had served
as pillow, l noticed that the
rock sparkled. 1t struck me all at once
that it was silver, and l looked around to
like that. / don't know whether you'll
believe it. but short distance off the trail
the ground was covered with them.
picked UP about twenty pounds and
packed them on my mule and started Tor
the nearest settlement didn't say any
thing to anybody in that neighborhood.
and didn'+ dare to have the ore assayed
until I got to FL Paso But l inquired
about the price of land, and found l could
buy that piece of ground for about
$4,000 I've come on here to raise that
and then start mine. What do you think
the ore is WORTH
II took the fellow all in and said: Did
AAyou pick this off the ground?'
Certainly he replied.
Was it in this condition.
OF course he answered, although he
was beginning to be frightened.
Then you are the biggest liar have
ever seen, said very decidedly.
"The fellow WINGED, and | continued
You don't know anything about ore, and
you don't know anything about Mexican
land This ore came from some mine
more than twenty feet under ground, and
it isn't necessary to buy Mexican land be-
fore starting mine. You tell your story
well, but you'll have hard work to find
anybody who will give you $4,000 fof
Mexican land Get out
There's great difference, you know
in the appearance of ore that has lain on
the surface any length of time and that OF
ore just dug from underground. The lat
ter is more crystallized, for one particular
The surface pickings are what we call tbs
results Il blowout Two drifts, com
ing together. peak shaped, are gradually
pro .ectcd oul by the washing away of the
earth Water gets in the crevices, and
after while tie peak breaks into pieces
which srp scattered over the surface Il