Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-05-03
Dakota School of Mines.

There is $4,000 left with which to run
the school during the ensuing e
Mr.. Duck gets $4,000. DIR. Bailey $1,000
Mr.. Conant $4,000 and DR.. HeaddenS2,
600. Nine into four, no times, and not
much over. Somebody has got to "absqu-
late," just what to do is a question that
puzzles a new board, who are making
many inquiries of leading persons as
to what should be done. OF course, the
Deadwood people think the school
might have been located right in the
heart of the mines at Lead City, if you
please, where practical examples in
mining could be had, and where miners
could have attended at night and had
the benefit of its instruction, but the
Pioneer is not disposed to talk about
what might have BEEN" The school
is at Rapid and is an accomplished fact
There let it stay, and also let the old
time jealousy between Rapid and Dead.
wood over the matter die. The "fool
friends and no-fool enemies" of the
school, to quote a recent writer, have
we'll nigh destroyed it. Upon the part
Of the latter, this is neither kind nor
wise. The school can and has welded
much influence for the good of the
whole Hills. Unquestionably, through
its agency was shown the proper meth
ods Of concentrating the tin ores of the
southern Hills and the smelling, without
lead or copper, of the silicious ores Of
the northern Hills. If it had done
nothing else, this alone would have
justified its existence. But it did more.
1t organized and carried forward a
geological survey which received the
highest commentator in both this
country and Europe. where every un-
versity and technical school, without
exception, secured a copy. This drew
the attention of the scientific pubulic to
the school and incidentally to the Hills.
Through the existence of the school
forty thousand acres o fland was secur-
ed to the people of South Dakota with
which to establish a fund for the
technical education of our children and
children's children for all time.
1t is not pretended that mistakes may
not have been made in the management
OF the school. 1t is human TO err. But
let us hope that all mistakes were Of the
head and not of the heart, and rejoice
that there is one place at least where
a poor student may receive an engine
er's education absolutely without cost
the only place, 50 far as the writer
knows, in the whole world, for the Da-
kota school Of mines make no charge for
instruction, or materials used, to anyone.
Some Things have been stated ABOUT
the management Of the school Of mines
that are not true, as for instance. |
that the board refused to let certain |
experiments in pyritic smelling be
made there. During the experiment,
the board permitted the use o apparatus
and chemicals whenever asked for and
the smelter has n tthe present time appar-
atus belonging to the school, and if
favors in other directions were not
granted let it go as "having happened
before the war;" This is an era of
peace and prosperity.
The proposition to close the school
does not seem 10 the Pioneer to be
wise. 1t should be kept open, at least
the chemical and assay department.
One good man a attend 10 al. Let
the board select some one, a technical
man of established reputation in whom
the public has full confidence and leave
the schoolin his charge, until the regular
term, and place the price Of ASSAYS,
tests, etc, ut mere nominal rates-say
% cents each-for scores Of miners NOW
prospecting are too poor 10 pay $3.50, |
now charged, and thus popularize the
school by making it useful TO the
public Pioneer.