Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1888-10-11

of whom had any pecuniary interest il
the property, and at time when its
extent and importance were but partially
understood. Mr.. White was, after in.
vestigation Of the charges made, dis
missed from his appointment, as the fol
lowing letter shows:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
! OFFICE or u. S. SURVEYOR GENERAL,
HURoN, DAKOTA, Aug. /. 1887.
7. H. Russell, Esq, Dendwood, Dakota:
I Dear Sir Referring to your letter OF
the tenth ultimo, have to inform you
that, conformably with the request OF a
large number Of petitioners residing
within the Black Hills district, this office
under date Of July %, 1887, cancelled
the commission of Thomas Ell. White as
deputy United States mineral surveyor
for this district. Yours respectfully,
MARIs TAYLOR,
Surveyor General.
These extracts speak for themselves
we therefore dismiss Mr.. White, and
leave the public to judge whether he is
reliable authority for any journal to
adopt, and whether it is reasonable to
put forward, as worthy of credit, state
ments made by him. Another authority
quoted by our contemporary is Messrs.
Phelps, Dodge & Company, of New
York, who have tried to.hold monopoly
Of the importation Of tin into the United
States for many years past. In our
opinioa the less said as to the reliability
of their statements the better, for our
contemporary, from the fact that Messrs.
Phelps, Dodge and Company's declara-
tions as to the value and extent of the
Harney Peak tin deposits may be open
to the same criticism as those made in
their dealings with the United States
custom house in New York some years
since.
These are the authorities in opposition
to the development, and in denial of the
extent and importance of American ma
tive tin mining. We gave our authori-
ties in support Of the facts we put for
ward in our issue of Sunday last, and
we here repeat them, entertaining no
doubt that they will be accepted by all
as of infinitely greater weight than those
of our contemporary. First, we have
the United States government in the Of
fetal report of the mineral resources of
the United States, for 1883-84, announc-
ing and certifying as to the fact of the
tin discovery and its importance to the
United States. Secondly we have the
investigation made in 1886 under the
direction of Messrs. John Taylor & Sons,
of Queen Street Place, London, by their
agent, Captain Gilbert, Cornishman of
unquestionable integrity and of great
experience in Cornish tin mining.
Again, there is the elaborate and careful
ly-written report of Professor Vincent,
the head of commission sent to Dakota
by leading and reliable London men in
1887. Still later, published in May of
this year, 1883, is the report of the Brit
ish Counsel, Hayes Sadler, at Chicago,
only ono days journey from the mines.
This latter report more than confirms all
the statements we have quoted concern
ing this property. IL there be any
doubt or uncertainty as to the character
and reliability of Her Majesty's counsul
we must refer our contemporary to the
British government, whom Consul Hayes
Sadler represents.
Further evidence as to the immense
extent and undoubted value of the Har-
ney Peak tin deposits, will NOT, we think,
be required, and when the nature and
the source of the statements put forth by
the owners OF the Harney Peak property,
and by the opponents of American tin
mining are considered and impartially
compared, the sole conclusion that can
be arrived at is that it is to the very
richness Of the Dakota deposits that the
opposition is due, and it may be safely
said that had such deposits been found
in any of the old tin producing countries
(for it must be remembered that tho as
says of the whole geological formation,
as distinguished from ths lode stuff,
yields the handsome average of forty
pounds of tin to the ton, which is many
times richer than the Cornish rocks J,
hundreds OF distinct companies would
have been formed to work the property
now in the hands of the Harney Peak
Tin Mining, Milling and Manufacturing
company, and from which with reasona-
bly, good management, they cannot fail
to realize large and permanent profits.