Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-06-09
Letter from DR.. 8. II. Emmens.

| luc lecunlCal press OF New Ork In
| which, referring to my recent visit TO
Dakota, and TO my having become con-
nected with the development of certain
! properties, he says 'the Western papers
| have been reporting enormous transac-
tons and schemes and more or less inn
| probable statements which, as heralded,
are injurious TO the interests Of legiti-
mate mining and liable TO deceive"
The names of the western papers" in
question are not given in the letter, and
! | therefore do not know to what "im
probable statements" particular allusion
is intended 10 be conveyed. As, how
ever, your paper is the only one
published in Custer City, and az Custer
| City Is the business centre Of the district
in which | am personally interested,
conclude it is your statements that are
considered TO be injurious TO the inter
| ests oflegitiInate mining" Accordingly
] have carefully looked through file OF
your paper for the period since | left
Dakota; but ! confess that ! have alto
gether failed 70 find any statement with
reference to myself or my plans TO
which | can properly take exception or
which in my Judgment is injurious to
the interests Of legitimate mining"
1t would seem, then, that the objec-
tionable statements have been published
IN some other paper and as 1t is clearly
impossible for me TO search through the
columns of the entire western press,
trust you will allow me TO use your
exr client journal as a medium of making
public brief account of my trans
actions and schemes" SO that all errone-
ous reports may be reCtified.
My object in visiting the Black Hills
was Of a threctOld nature. In the first
place | desired to make a personal in
spection Of the Dolcoath, Herbert, Laura
and Mitchell placer claims near Hill
| City which had been represented to me
us being very rich and well developed
tin mining properties, and which Mr..
Henry and on the faith Of such repre-
sentatiOns had agreed TO buy. In the
second place | was desirOus of personally
studying the whole question of Dakota
tin for the information of my friends in
England. And in the third place |
wished to ascertain whether there was
a good opening in the Black Hills for
the introduction Of my new explosive
"Emmensite."
| found the representations made
respecting the four claims above men
| toned TO have been false in every
| material particular; and of this Mr.
Henry and duly notified the would-be
| vendor. But was pleased to discover
| that the claims in question were by no
means a sample Of the Black Hills tin
| deposits. Thanks to the courtesy and
hospitality of Mr.. Willsie and other
gentlemen | was able TO make q close
4 s . !, HI h,lt
| from the Eta Mine round the noun
| tains to the Stockade below Custer City.
| Throughout the entire district | met
| with tin ore in abundance, and | saw
! many deposits which had been develop
ed by shafts and cuts to an extent that
ensured a large supply Of pay-rock.
Previous TO my visit to Dakota | had
been very skeptical respecting the exist
ence Of tin in the Black Hills in paying
quantities but when was brought face
| to face with the facts of the case doubt
became impossible. l am familiar with
Cornish mining; have had the general
management of some of the largest
! mines and reduction works in Cornwall
have worked some mines ut a profit
and others at loss; | have (under ex
| ceptional circumstances) made tin rock
| carrying only lbs of black tin to the
! long ton 1852 lbs) pay and have sue
| cessfully concentrated black tin from
ore which showed no tin at all on the
! vanning shovel. | am therefore able to
form Judgment; and l say with due
| consideration and in all seriousness
| that, area for area, and depth for depth,
the Black Hills tin field is richer than
any tin district in Cornwall. 1t is not
uniformly rich and no man with any
knowledge of geology anG mining would
expect it to be so. Many claims have
been located simply to sell and are
worthless; as is the case in every min
ing district. | encountered many in
stances of ridiculous exaggeration and
some Of downright lying on the part Of
| would-be vendors. But, on the whole,
| was more than favorably impressed; i
was convinced that Dakota possesses
every requisite for becoming great tin
producing country.
When at Custer City the attention of
| Mr.. Henry and mvself was called to the
group Of tin claims held by Messrs
Haserodt, Harbach and Wilcox in the
Laughingwater valley. We inspected
these claims and were pleased with
| them, 1t appeared probable that a little
judicious prospecting would open up
| largo bodies Of rich tin ore, and the
properties were extensive enough to
require concentration and smelling
works or a very considerable scale. We
were willing to embark some capital in
a sound mining enterprise, and in our
judgment this was such. We according
ly bonded the properties and paid a
moderate sum on account, and we ar
ranged for some preliminary develop
ment work with the view Of testing
whether the properties were really as
valuable as they appeared to be. We
are now awaiting the results of this
preliminary work before we decide upon
going any further with the matter.
| 1t so happens that Mr. Henry, as an
old Colorado resident, has seen a good
deal Of gold mining and myself have
had much experience in the treatment
of the so-called refractory ores con
tanning gold. We are both, therefore,
much interested in the gold deposits OF
Dakota where such enormous masses OF
auriferous rock are lying undeveloped
Every mining expert decently acquaint-
ed with the geological and mineralogical
features of the United States ls aware
that the goldbearlng deposits speak OF