The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-26
THE WASHINGTON GOLD MINE.
The Quartz Yielding $33 to the Ton
Senator Sawyer Developing it.


WASHINGTON, Jan 22.-Philadelphia cap
italists, after a very careful examination
during the past two months have decided
to make an investment in the gold mine dis
covered on property some fifteen miles
north of Washington. Contrary to all
scientific expectation, the discovery seems
to ho1I out 1t has been known for 100
years that gold existed all along the Poto-
mac valley, and nuggets as big as kernel
of wheat have been found in the fields
overlooking the city of Washington, but
1T, has never been possible for anyone to
carry on mining operations successfully
Gold in placer deposits has been too fine to
be caught in any mining machinery thus
far invented. and in the quartz it has not
been found in paying quantities. The re-
cent discovery is on property adjoining the
old Montgomery mine, where prominent
Baltimore capitalists some years ago sunk
over 100000 in fruitless operations.
Although the discoveries have kept their
knowledge to themselves, enough is known
about it to show that there is a reasonable
foundation for believing that they have
found gold in paying quantities. Instead
of prospecting up and down the Potomac
valley parallel with the river, they have
found that the vein lies below the surface
strata, and extends transversely to the
course of the river, where it outcrops. The
vein is not wider than mans hand. and it
was only by the merest accident that it was
discovered. From subsequent investiga-
lions experts have decided that the vein
slopes each way from the outcropping, like
the two sides of a gabled roof No one on
the United States Geological Survey is yet
a believer in the discovery
The first capitalist to invest was Senator
Sawyer of Wisconsin. He knows nothing
of mining and would not trust his own judg-
ment a moment, but turned the whole ques-
ton of deciding upon the value of the dis
covery over to DR.. kempster, his family
physician, who is an expert on the general
subject of insanity and a thoroughgoing
man of science. He has been at work for
three months, keeping the property under
his eye during that time, and using every
preCaution against deceit or laundering, and
in spite of all his original skepticism has been
thoroughly convinced that a deposit of rare
value has been found. Several shafts have
been sunk from thirty to fifty feet into the
vein, and small stamp mill has been in
operation steadily for the past six weeks
working on the general run of rock as it
comes out of the shaft, and the results OBJ
tanned, although they remain a secret with
the owners of the property, demonstrate
beyond all doubt that capital can be safely
invested. Something like 500 acres have
been bought of the farmers in that vicinity,
and operations are rapidly going forward
for extensive work in the spring. Senator
Sawyer has decided to ship from his saw
mills in Wisconsin, down the lakes and the
Chesapeake and Ohio canal, as soon as
navigation opens in the spring 100000 feet
of lumber During the coming month a
contract will be made with Philadelphia
parties for the erection of large stamp
mill.
One of the investors is authority for the
statement that the ore is not only of high
grade but is remarkably even in value,
and as reliable in this latter respect as the
famous HomeStakes mine in the Black Hills,
of which a noted mining expert said: IF
the HOmestakes is operated through all
eternity it will never fail. Every ton of ore
will yield exactly as much value as every
other ton" Some OF the specimens shown
from the Potomac property are very fine.
One nugget has been picked up weighing
twenty three pennyweights. Some OF
the specimens of wire gold are mar
velously large and handsome. The
quartz lis a muddy, dirty, rose flint,
is found, but whether in paying quantities
gold per ton in the opera ton thus far made
with the little stamp mill is about S63 ton.
The ore in sight is practically inexhaustible,
and if it holds out al even one-fifth of this
yield the property will certainly pay. OF
course there will be some doubt about the
matter, in view of all that has been said by
old miners and expert biologists and
savants, but the men who have decided to
invest in the properly have the courage of
good many Millions and can afford to make
the experiment.