Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1885-05-01
A COLORADO PIONEER.
Ills Experience AS a Professional
PrOspector.
u Makes Him Tired" to Hear Tender
feet Talk About the BLsinrss-A
Letter That n Ynung Man In
the East Wrote Him.

the East Wrote Tim.
1t sounded Ike brass knuckles. that
rap on the door las; evening when. In
rc>po. Sc to a corrcspondingly vigorous
come in. a stalwart. pleasant-faced
man. clad in sl;clcns de canvas suit,
entered with re,ounding step. suggcs-
W. of robust health and hob-nailc led
boots. and in ringing tones inqu red:
Are yon the III ming sharp of this
here rapcr'"
Yes; take seat and tell me all
Al on. il
Tell YOU all about what?"
why. ,our bg strike. OF course;
how mary thousand, OF dollars it runs
an ,ou onl. want capitalist with a
few hundred dollars and lots of grub
To make it the b %grst bonanza in Colo
a 10.
Now. hold on. pard. YOUR dead oil
the trail tn shif;; only want to show
Won letter.
"Oh. that it.; Your pard has struck
il. and YOU want to sell an interest to
90 and Join hm and stake off the whole
country.
NO. ,ou re on ih- wrong lead again
I've 70 n letter from a tcndrrtOot who
wants to come out here and prospect
tor MINES
We'll. why don't YOU let him come
- one oi the grand army of pro pee
;ors who swarm through the eulchcs
and climb the rug ,cd peaks Of our
mountain rangcs?'
You W caught on. that's the float.
u'luw il up and You'll hit the vein
roppng right through the surface"
"Iendcricct nal the best kind Of
prospcctors. don't they.'
"'ard. now You r. on the pay streak
to dead moral certainty. and I'll do
the assassin mt work for You free graf S
for nothn if You'll put It in the paper
good shape. so that C N se.d It to
o., darn fool fr.cld back N the
st
"All right. fire away. and make it
short"
We'll. this chap writes that times
dull back thar and they are cutt n
wages down-hc's clerk in dry
goods store and SO he SAYS be II qu t..
come out here. fl rich mine ana 20
back thar aud sell t."
w hat ; wrong about that? Amt
he ~ liable to lind good IN ne as any
800 lvp"
Now you're gittin' right down to
s,t-rock bu ,incss. It's all wrong. bot h
II theor, and ir practice. Nobody
finds mine. II takes money. and
lots OF i. to change the best kind OF
. good prospect into a paying nine. "
"Oh. your friend don't mean a mine
he means u prospect
'p raps hc dorS. but it takes money
Ia prospect, and he $ in luck if he has
uoacy enough to pay his fare to Den
YER"
Hes got more money than that or
he would not think of coming 80 far to
a.trangc countr, and an equally st. angc
bu, ness.
Now. there's whar you're fooled.
Lots Of fcllers come out here every
u s>cd season. KNOWN moth n about
Eln or prospect n, and land with
uu, -cads enough 10 buy grub for a
In 70"
thought burros foragcd ard didn't t
IclIirc fc, ding"
"rnat so. but they don't grow with
rack saddles on AID cl.nch ropes and
sack hang n To EN-. A fcller cant
mine with his fingers and l.veon noun
TN scenery and trout in streams ton
milo, or more fiCm whar he's got to
look for rio-p"c;s if he wants to find
any.
All good m ming ground is not ncc-
r-s.r ll high up on Tn" mounta ms. and
h'r' crita My are good plicer d z
ugs Vet to be found along the streams
and u the gulchc, of the state"
Il, ra'.. pard; tfa,'s some truth.
bht b. Of ool hncSs n what YOU saw
The bisg"~, lat of the gold. lver
opI,r and lead III ned III this country
T.. me- ~; the tuoun'ai.I. not ont of II .cc
-p."";h. lc,I ritc..+. What soft snap.
""t' =: around loose Ike have al.
read h-r. cor. ;llci BY f,.liers who.
,hr"urh - +. of II" ual "xpcr ence,
i"nrn"i er value; ana row. "a a rule,
nrw :''ound means new g ound. and
IA 4 on 'lr moin.a ms. and in out of.
eva places
hnt hat d".'t rr'vrnt t.,n.rrfcct
'rp Il ,-ut"r u" ti."ni,"
"nDc ou "cy + saw ndcrfcet
rro-p ciin D."
Tel IN how 'icy ~ it,"
"'an orlN meat on them IN gen.
rrnl way. 1t would taxi 50 long; bu.
,"mmonlv. the f'llrs who are s.aked
lN the frirud> have III gh;y good
me ioulin' arouad. and Il they find any
thing its by downright niggcr luck.
:" heard I'm say. lot, of tines, that
they wouldn't climb that mountain for
all the wealth init. But ifone is spunky.
or 'ough enough to do it. he couldn't {
tell pay from county rock. COS he amt
had the experience. l showed feller
some of th" richest horn I ever saw.
and he looked disgu,ted like"
Yes. but thee men do sometimes
get hold Of good claims"
"Thry ccras 'onally do. but theirs
III" except o1s. AMI they catch on BY
trail ng III" old rrospectOrs. getting
i'olt ! ke theirs. and takin' their advice
about locating"
Were you ever '>taked' by tender