Morning journal and courier., 1888-03-08

this country shows the statement to be true.
In '49 everybody wanted to go to California;
| in '49 the discovery of gold at Pixies Peak
flooded the West with ad7enturers; in '69,
| Virginia City; in 10, Leadville; while 'S9
will eclipse the record by discoveries all over
the West.
Mr.. James 4. Myres, superintendent of
| mines in Summit county, Col, and sue
| csssful miner of twenty-five years. exper-
| fence, was encountered at the Exchange by
your correspondent yesterday. Mr.. Myres
picked up $4,000 in gold dust washing
placers in Arizona, Colorado and Montana
before he was twenty-five years of age He
| is pleasant and obliging gentleman, and was
| readily drawn into conversation on his favor
! tie theme.
"Mr. Myres, is there any money made in
| mining?'
The reply was almost startling
III never knew q man that stuck to mining
closely for ten years who did not make for
tune Last year $103, 900, 900 were taken
enteen- years the States and Territories west
of the Mississippi have produced $615. .000, 900
in mineral products. The $25, ,000, 900 in
vested in machinery produced $32, 600. 900
last year. Half the product may be marked
down as clear profit. The mines of Colorado
alone give employment to 10000 men. Yes,
there's money in mining. It stands alone as
the only industry in which man may engage
without a single dollar to his credit, and wind
up millionaire. This is entirely possible in
mining"
"That sounds like romance, Mr.. Ny
res. Will you be kind enough to name the
men that have made fortunes in the noun
tains?"
The veteran settled himself in his chair,
crossed his right leg over his left knee, tilted
his hat over the back of his head, and began
his reply:
"SenatOr Hearst of California is beyond
doubt the best miner in America. Originally
from Missouri, he began in the mountains as
a day laborer. He steadily ascended as fore
man, superintendent and owner. He is to-
day the richest man in the United States.
There is not mining State or Territory in
which he is not owning and working some
mining property. He has 5000 men in his
employ in this country. He stated to me
recently that he hadn't lost dollar in min
ing for twenty years past. Have heard him
say he would much rather be in his
mines than in Washington. His wife's 80
cial aspirations led him to accept official posi-
ton.
ssJim Witchlatch was formerly owner of
the Witchlatch Union naine, near Unionyille,
Mont He sold his mine for 81, 800, 600 in
gold. He lost this stake on Wall street,
went back to Leadville, and in six months
made $120 900, and lost every nickel of it in
1888 by the failure of Grant & Wards bank.
Nothing daunted by his recent collapse,
Witch1atch turned up at Kingston, N. NJ.
Last spring he got bonded lease on piece
of property, opened it out a little, and sold it
| to ST. Louis parties so as to place bank ac-
count of $3.50, 900 to his credit. At the pres
ent time this lucky child of fortune is in
Brooklyn nursing broken leg.
s'The Mary Murphy mine was sold by the
Louis people bought it. For three years past
the Mary Murphy mine has been paying a
dividend On So 900, 600.
sFTom Bowen went to Colorado from Ar
kansas ten years ago. He was broken in
| health, and, being member of the Masonic
| fraternity, they paid his board the irst win
| ter. One night Bowen won $100 at poker
gave it to prospector for grub stake, and
gained the Little Annie and Goleonda as
| the result of his venture. These two mines
have paid as high as 200 day in hard
| cash. A conservative estimate places the ore
| in sight at So, 800, 900. To-day Tom Bowen is
| a United States Senator and the most popular
! man in the State of Colorrdo.
| 'sThe reward of perseverance. Joe Stan
| lev, one of the wealthiest men of Denver and
| vice president of the Denver City Nationa
| bank, had prospect ten years ago in Gilpir
! county His wife took in washing to buy
| -four and bacon while Joe dug his way sever
| hundred feet through barren rock. He hat
no capital and couldn't hire assistance. A
i
ore and named it the California mine /
| party of Englishmen on tour through tn
State gave him one million dollars in cash fo
the mine. It has paid them over five millio
dollars in dividends and is still being worked
''Governor Tabor is supposed to have mad
| more money out of mines in ten years thai
any other man in Colorado. Outside of on
millien dollars that he has invested in Denve
real estate, his fortune is all invested in min
ing property. At the same time the Cover
nor is the heaviest borrower in the State.
Diamond Jee Reynolds income from
mines he owns in Colorado is over five hun
dred thousand dollars a year. His invest
| mepts in the Centennial State were mainl,
| made through an Irishman that worked OF
one of Reynolds steamboat on the Missouri
| river Diamond used to say that he hadn'
| much education himself and he wanted s
partner i'll the same fix, so that he could de-
pend on a square deal. His partner, Colone
John Morrissey, is immensely wealthy ant
has over three hundred thousand dollars in
vested in race horses. His stables in Denve
hold one hundred and seventy-fye of them
Three years ago he married a school teacher
as he claimed, in order to learn to read ant
write Diamond Joe lives like prince in
magnificent residence in Chicago.
''The first mine ever sold in Colorado wa
disposed of by Joe Watson twenty-five year
ago. He received one hundred Thousand
dollars for his mine. That was big none.
in those days. He lost if all by dissipation
and went broke for two years. In 1882 b
got seven hundred thousand dollars cash TO
his interest in the Evening Star mine nea
LeadviIle. Joe Watson has not one cen
on earth to-day
'I know a busted prospector that ap
Piled to Jack Haverly several years ago TO
loan of one hundred dollars as stake
Jack gave him one thousand dollars. Th
prospector located some property and CAV
Mr.. Haverly half interest in it. He cal
sell out any day for fifty thousand dollars
"Denver has more men in it worth owe
five hundred thousand dollars than an.
other city in the United States except Ney
York and Philadelphia. They all mad
their fortunes out of mining. New mine
are being discovered every year. The worl
SO far has merely scratched the surface
No figures can estimate the wealth that vii
be taken out of the Rocky Mountains IN tn
centuries to come