The Northern Pacific farmer., 1885-03-26
WORKING 4 SILVER NINE

WORKING 4 SILVER MINE.
New Yorkers Pay Dearly for Thelr ssi-.
ence-$150, 900 Sunk
::'Operating Mexican mines has bsen
dear experience for some New York
capitalist" mining expert said, In
Producing the subject 10 group Of
gentlemen smoking sociably Is adown-
town Office. without giving names;
can give the two ycars history OF q
speculation that II q sample Of many
others. I was here Ii New York. not
exactly waiting for something to turn
up, but at least at leisure, when sew
eral gentlemen called to see me and
ask about mining property in Mexico.
One Is the owner of a big business
block, and two are at the head of large
manufacturing interests. They were,
with the others eager to invest in sill
ver mines. It was when the late craze
was at it's height. The money for the
start could be subscribed in day, and
the only obstacle was in finding q man
TO 20 and locate the mines. They had
heard Of me and had come to suggest
the subject to me. We had some Very
plain talk about mining, and it finally
fan into what they were to do for me.
They were willing to pay my expenses
and give me good salary to go to
Mexico, find some mines and start
them. That was we'll enough so far
as it went, but it didn't 20 far enough.
knew that I could find mines there
that would be profitable if I had the
money to start them, and, knowing
that, I did not intend to allow half a
dozen gentlemen to make fortune
and leave me out in the cold. So /
said: Gentlemen, will go to Mexico
and find mines for you if you will pay
my expenses. / don't want salary
until after they are opened, but I do
want an interest-a fifth. i'll 90 into
this thing I 60 in intending to make
$15O,O00: I know where 1 can find
mines, and all need is money enough
to start them with
cit may seem a trif1e singular that
had knowledge of mines that had
not made use of before, but had lived
In Mexico about fifteen years, and I
never had money enough to open
mines that knew of, or knew that /
ed originally by the Indians, have been
handed down from father to son, and
man has to live among the Mexicans
some years before he can sift the truth
from all the stories.
"After several conferences the gem
tlemen agreed to my plan. I was to
have $4,000 to start with, and to be
the local manager after the locating of
the mines. They were apparently
willing to do the fair thing for me,
and I was willing to do my best for
them. Inever did like living in Mex
leo, but Iput that feeling aside and
started.
1.-THE government of Mexico gives
very fair concessions to miners, and I
had no trouble in locating four mines,
of which at least two would prove
profitable, l thought. ! sunk Shafts
in all four to secure them, and was
working along all right in two Of them
when dawn came one of those mining
experts from college. He looked over
the min9s. and, of course, thought he
knew more about mining than I did.
He didn't attempt to interfere with my
work, and l didn't have much to soy
to him. He thought the mines were
richer than did, and he also thought
the ore could be smelted for much
smaller cost than I estimated. After
q while he returned, and soon another
professor came down. He apparently
knew everything. Hewes called the
secretary, and was paid $3.50 q month,
while was working along for $40,
and $40 q month is a mighty little to
live on ip that country. Before long
he had two clerks and a storekeeper
working for from 800 to $3.50 month.
He couldn't t speak a word of Spanish,
and had to hire an Interpreter.
Gal this time Ihad been interesting
some Mexican friends in the scheme,
and, having faith me, they support
ed mB in what doing. When
the professor took charge I quit and
went to New York. to have talk with
the stockholders. a company, with
president, vice president, treasurer,
beoretarY, and directors, had been or.
ganized in the lemeanWhile, and I ha: re-
ceived my share of the stock. I >de-
desired to know what the next steps
would be. We were then smelling e
about 500 to the ton. l had figured
the cost of smelling from $12 to $15 a
ton, although the professor had fig
ured as low as as $3.65 ton. 1t was
finally agreed that should return and
continue as working manager, while
the professor was to take charge of the
finances. When I returned found
that the professor had sunk shaft a
little back of the house. had made
up my mind long before that it would
not pay to work that lead. and had
abandoned it. The other mines were
up in the mountains, and were a good
deal harder for the tender.footed pro-
fessor to reach. Besides he had had
trouble with the Mexican laborers.
Cut the wages of Mexican laborer
and he thinks you are robbing him.
We had to have heavy sticks of timber
carried up to the mines in the noun
tains, and had employed a number
of Mexicans to carry them up on their
shoulders. They could carry up five
or six sticks day, and / had paid
them by the stick, each man making
about Is cents a day. The professor
thought that was too much, and had
out down the price. The mon quit
working, and he was in the lurch.
"Work went along that way for
awhile, and the professor became dis
satisfied. He wanted to branch out.
I had been working along with the old
Spanish furnaces, which cost very lit
tie and are easily and cheaply repaired,
although they burn out quickly. The
professor wanted costly smelter put
up, and, besides smelling our own ore,
to smelt ore brought in by the Mexi-
cans. They used to bring in about
three hundred pounds each day. and