Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1886-10-07
L OF HINES.
Practical Hints az 60 How TO Test
their value.
Denver Tribune Republican.


their value.
Denuer Tribune Republican.
The test of merit OF Q mine is its ability
to yield a profit. when properly worked.
The test OF merit of q prospect Is its ability
to become q paying mine, when developed
Naturally, it is much more difficult tc
determine the value Of q prospect than tc
determine the value Of q mine. Still,
there are rules which experience has
taught that are safe to follow, in estimat.
ing the chances for a prospect becoming Q
paying mine. The rules are altogether
different in judging q fssure vein pros.
pect, from those which are or should be
followed, in judging a contact or bed
deposit. The value Of the latter depends
largely upon development Of surrounding
claims, value Of ore, size and direction
which ore shoots are taking. What we
commonly call a assure vein gets no value
from its proximity to richveins. Each
vein Is a"tub that stands upon its own
bottom"
An enormous amount of labor is ex.
pended in working assessments on and
developing veins which give not the
least promise of ever becoming paying
mines. 1t is impossible to generalize
rules for Judging prospects which are
without exceptions, but experience has
taught a few which can always be followed
with safety, and from which no expert.
enced miner will deviate.
The first rule is that il Ia not found on
the surface it Is useless to dig for 1t.
There never was a greater error than the
commonly accepted opinion among pros
pectors that veins increase in richness as
depth is gained, and that sll that is re-
quired to make q mine ia TO sink to con-
siderable depth. The instances in which
richer ore ia found at depth than on the
surface sre very rare. After shining up
and down q great many hundred prospect
holes, and from the British Possessions
to the Caribbean Sea. we can say that
we never have seen q paying mine which
did not have pay ore on the surface. The
cases, too, are very rare in which the
quantity of ore increased with depth. II,
after prospecting the surface OF Q vein,
pay ore is not found. it is q poor Invest.
ment to continue work upon 1t.
The fissure vein prospect which has q
value is the one which discloses ore of
sufficient richness and in sufficient guam
tity to make q paying mine il ii continues
until the vein is developed to the point OF
economical production. The exceptional
prospect. with exceptional value. is the
one which ia rich enough to pay for its
own development. OF course there are
other things besides those to be considered
in determining values. The cost OF work.
ing Q vein, the character of the ore, the
location, with reference to wood, water,
roads and markets, are all important
factors In determining values.
There is one thing can be set down as q
certainty, which Is that prospectors almost
in Invariably place q value on their claim far
in excess Of any value they can possibly
possess. Nine-tenths of the prospects in
the country, judged by the rules here laid
down, would be dear at the price of record
ing a deed. The sooner prospectors learn
these things the better will be their chances
OF finding something saleable and valu-
able.