Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-04-24

The Mining and Scientific Press
speaks within legitimate bounds, when
it claims Chat quartz mining, as pursued
in California by Californians, as contra
disguished from operations carried on
in the state by persons not Of the state.
has been and still is a most successful
business and employment of capital.
As the Press says: "Californians own
ing or operating mines, begin at the
beginning that is, they have usually
taken what are denominated mere
prospects aud developed them into pro-
ductive, and as experience shows, al
most always into paying properties. 1t
has not been the custom, even with our
home capitalists when making invest
ments in mines. to buy those already
opened up and equipped with plant.
This policy of taking many risks in a
small way instead Of large ventures on
d seeming certainty, has in practice
proved a wise one. 1t is the course
pursued by all practical men in found
ing a business. The merchant goes to
work and by careful management,
creates his trade. The lawyer and the
doctor, laboring a%ssiduously year by
year, establishes each for himself a
practice. The farmer clears and other
wise improve his tract Of wild land and,
little by little, he converts it into a pro-
ductive farm" y n Adhering,
general, to the plan, Californians have
been largely ~"fortunat in their mining
ventures" says the Press, and for "the
reason that they have expended their
money gradually, and only as there
seemed to be warrant for the same.
Being thoroughly acquainted with the
character Of the properties they were
improving, they have been able to make
these improvements to better advantage
than could have been done by parties
acting without this special knowledge
At length, taught by experience, foreign
investors, without avoiding California,
ara beginning to adopt the plan Of
making their mines instead of buying
them already made. Their agents are
looking about for good prospects, PROM
Using quartz lodes upon which little or
no expenditure has been made and
which, for that reason, they are able to
get hold Of at small cost, often on al
most any terms they may choose to
propose. There are in California thou
sands Of quartz claims located by pros
pectors. practical miners and spectators,
who hold them simply with a view to
d~isposing OF them to others, the ex-
tremely liberal provisions of the mining
laws making it possible for these
locators to keep good their possessory
titles from year to year. Affording no
income and being in their present con
dition Of little value to their owners,
these claims can be bought outright for
very little money, or a controlling in.
terest can be obtained in them in
consideration of q certain amount O
work being done upon them, ample
time being given for prospecting them
before final terms are concluded. While
these claims are 80 profitless 70 the own,
ers, the most of them possess more OIL
less prospective value, the miner bein.
too good a Judge of quartz to waste hi,
small means or expend much Of his wei
preserved energies on anything obvi
ously worthless. In a majority of cases
they offer some, and generally sufficient
inducement for vel the most pruden
to spend upon them money enough tC
determine their probable value. as thi,
can be effected generally in a very shor
time and for a moderate sum-"