New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-11
THE TIN MINES OFTHE WEST
VALUABLE DISCOVERIES IN THE BLACK
HILLS COUNTRY.
GENERAL JAMES s. BRIsBrN DESCRIBES TIM
NEW TIN ORE AND TELLS HOW 1T
HAPPENED TO BE FOUND.

luck they have met with in the discovery OF
the tin mines OF the Black Hills, Dakota. IL has
long been doubted IL we had any good tin ore in
this country. Certainly none before has been
found Of extent or value. ! do not know OF tho
existence of cassterte Tin orc in the world, exccps
at Cornwall, England in Brittany Galcia Spain.
Banca, Malacca, Bolivia Peru Queensland and
New South Wales. The mines IN Cornwall are
the oldest and best, having been worked con-
stantly since before the time of julius Caesar.
and they have been worth to England more than
all the gold and silver ever found on British land.
Now about this Black Hills discovery Of tin.
1t has been known long time but the fact has
been kept so quiet that only a few knew OF the
richness of the mines, and these from interested
motives kept il 20 themselves. Like oil great
discoveries the finding OF tin in Dakota was
accidental. A man who was mining Tor goid
sent some gulch digging prospects TO Professor
Pierce, Of Argo, Colorado. He had cleaned 10
as we'll rs he could. but there were still somo
small black particles mixed with the gold, which.
he called " black iron' and could not get out.
lie said he had siftcd and picked out the larger
particles of iron but could not separate tbs
iron sand from the gold, and apologized for send
ing so dirty prospect. The learned professor
did not pay much attention TO the miners golds
for he had seen thousands OF better prospects;
PARTICLES mixed with the gold which rivetcd his
attention 1t was cassiterite of the purest quality
He wrote at once to the miner to send him some
specimens of the black ore, and to tell him how
much of this black iron there in the country
where he was mining, as it was very valuable.
The astonished miner wrote There Is plenty on
the black iron, but what can such stun DC Use"
for and how can it be valuable? IL is curse
TO the miners and always in the way oil inning
gold. There are beds of mica here with IL IN.
Then he bundled up some OF the black rock ah1
sent il 10 the professor, thinking he was crazy
as March hare.
But when the professor received the specimens
and carefully examined them, he dld, IN iacs
nearly 90 crazy, for they were the hnest samp'es
of cassiterite he had ever seen. He kepo MS own
counsel concerning his discovery. and IL was hoo
until 1883 that the existence OF tin ore IN un"
BLACK Hills in considerable quantities was made
known to outsiders by Major A. j. Simmons mo
reports were discredted, and the metal was
called black pyrites Of iron and valueless' Ne"
who knew better went to Chicago and toid inc
truth about it, and showed the biue-plack spec'-
mems to capitalists, but nobody womb pe.ie'o
them Of value. No one knew anything abouo
fin ore. and it was thought TO be swihoies
The writer carried bag of this ore around
vote him crank and a bore, and then gave tho
snecimens to a bank in Philadelphia. Inc iaso
time he saw them they were n"s
in window covered with dust anu
cobvebs The mine from which they were TAKE"
is now worth millions.
An army officer, captain VINO "as io' iA'~
the secret by Black Hills friends got carpe,
sacl, of specimens and went East on leave Ala
he wanted was money to develop the nhne' "nA
he would give a haf-interest In all tne ""es
opened The capitalists he visited told MN 'ney
had beon hit" before and intimated pretty
rlainly that he was trying to take 'heni IL"
The captain who nice fellow anu as ho"ess
as the day, was hurt and shocked at such treat
ment. lie threw away his carpetbag oil specimens
and came home.
A few men in New-York City did listen aiter ~
while. and not only listened but put up some
money Following the precedents IN the history
Of tin they thought the section In which IL eN"
isted could not be extensive. Their policy was
RI keen ouet and buy up every tin discovery
until they got control of the mines III was
Thought that 100000 or 100000 would 40
this MS the miners were poor and not at all aVerso
to selling out or being taken into Partnership
with rich men on a cash bonus paid to them ID
90 in The scheme worked well Tor the' ouD
the trouble that the miners Heps
ON discovering new TIN mines ~"
sooner was one bought up than another was
found. and had TO be bought or compounded
Ono hundred. two hundred, three hundred thol-
sand dollars were spent in acquiring Mines anu
still the company seelaed TO nearer the end IMAM
whom they first began 1t Was thought at hrss
that the tin ore existed only in the BRICK luis
in the vicinity of Iiarney's Peak out TINS was
soon found to be a mistake. They bought the
.frnl no
fine Black Hills. When the prospectors dis
covered a new and more valuable mine, Trey were
astonishcd. but promptly bought it. Then followed
two more. and they were DO eht in; then SIN new
ones. and the company began TO get disconIageu;
H. is said when 100000 had been eApeiiueh
in a vain attempt to control the TIN oil tne pidcs
Hills of the men c0mp0slhS ,ie "os,,,ais
cGmpanv posted off 10 England 10 let me IornWbt
people know what was going on IN the CniVt
States | am told that he promptly returned Win
$1,000 pounds and that mat was eApenuyyu ~
acquiring tin properties Then came the emu, anu
the company realized the astounding iact thae
the rim mines of the Black Hills were innumerable
and inexhaustible. The Harvey Peak I'm Mining
Company owns over 200 tin mines ana prospects,
but these are only a small portion oil the mines now
being discovered No company IN the woriI cth
monopolize the output OF TN IN inc Back Ills ILL.,:
The tin district comprises over 500 square mics
and suppose is larger and contains more TIN IMAM
all the other tin mines in the world put together.
| have no book at hand to show me what ma
annual consumption OF tin Is IN the world, Duo
we can supply il from the Black Hills no matter
what it is.
The tin in its raw state is black. and is called
black cassiterte. This black TIN Is EMBEDDED ip
gigantic rock or mica schist. IL also appears x
CRYSTALS sometimes. and frequently l. distriouted
through the rock in such small PARTICLES as 70 ~
mere black specks, almost imperceptlplc 10 Ms
naked eye The whole country IN when I'm ~
found Is volcanic The earth is broken ana thro"n
mn Inv pressure from beneath. Ages ago u was
SETTLING cauldron. Tho mountain OF iiarney
Ipall does not itself contain I'm, Dnt nesrB eVsry
Lin around il for miles and miles is filled WIN inc
nrecious metal The black Jumps were the Yer.
ror of the miners when they sought Tor ths goia
sparsely scattered through that region. cna , ,hn
cursed the IRON as they called II Dut now .isw
ore searching for the very humps which they on, on,e
east away as worthless. There ore mica o ,sss
hut the black iron mpregna'ed th. I'm u'ss
,hnv ,varc thought TO be worthless; now the mots