, 1891-09-10
BEST SESSION YET.
The Mining Convention Getting
Down to a Practical Basis.
An Interesting Address from a La
Plata District Man.
Prof. Mead of Omaha Has Some
thing Interesting to Say.

Last nights session of the mining con
v%ention was the best yet held. W. E.
Mead of Omaha delivered a short prac
teal address and a young man who is evi
IDENTIFY a practical miner was more loudly
applauded than any one who has vel
addressed the meeting.
Tonight, if the people OF Cheyenne and
especially the business men, will turn out
en- masse they will hear something which
is OF vital importance to Wyoming and
the whole West.
A few minutes after s the meeting was
called to order. President Downey had
gone to Denver and VIM. Sturgis Jr..
presided. He read a letter from w. ].
Nesmith Of Denver. on the iron industry
and its possibilities west of the Missouri
river. Next the chairman read a letter
from Newcastle entitled. The Resources
of Weston County" 1t was a description
OF the Newcastle mines and mentioned
the oil deposits and the difficulties en-
countered by the drillers. The letter was
Interesting but rather long.
j. Byron of the new La Plata district,
which joins Gold Hill on the east, was in
vited to make an address. When the
young man took the floor he looked any
thing but an orator and judging from ap-
pearances would be more at home pound
ing a drill than addressing an audience.
However, he proved a diamond in the
rough. Mr.. Byron had a dry subject,
but he held the attention of the audience
completely. Every word was uttered dis
tinctly and heard all over the room. He
said: II learned last night that | was
expected to say something, 80 | thought
| would prepare today. Instead of doing
that, however. l went to vour horse races,
and il the balloon had gone up l don't
think 1 would have been here tonight.
Although l have been treated courteously
in Cheyenne, people seem to regard me
with suspicion. They seem to ooubt that
| represent a new mining camp. Well,
we do not claim to have a mining camp.
But we do believe We have discovered the
foundation which will prove we have a
mining camp in this country.
Mr.. Byron then spoke OF the forma-
ton Of the district aud told something of
the discoveries aud ores. The formation
is limestone and the speaker maintaised
that Leadville, Aspen and all the greatest
camps of Colorado and Utah are in the
same formation. The miners of Aspen
labored eight years before the merit OF
the camp was recognized and Leadville
was many years being developed. The
La Plata, district, Mr.. Byron thought,
would be developed in less time.
When the La Plata man had finished
Prof. Stanton got up and talked until he
discovered that Prot. Mead OF Omaha
was present and the audience waiting to
hear him. Prof. W. E. Mead Of the
Omaha Miners and Millers' exchange
began his remarks in a business
like manner, without wasting
time complmentinR Cheyenne. He said
it was the regret of the mayor of Omaha
that he could not be here, but the momen-
tarily expected death of his mother made it
impossible. Gen. Lowe also would have
been here, but his only child was very
sick. Prof. Mead said hat iron could be
made without smelling. Within ninety
days iron from which a horseshoe had been
forged had been made without smelling.
The speaker said many ores were called
highly refractory that were just over the
line from free milling. There are pro-
cesscs for working these ores and they
need not be sent away either. The pro-
fessor said capital could be secured. He
said AL Wyoming has to do is to prove
hat she has the ore and the process by
which these ores can be worked and
New York will furnish $780,
600, 900 a month. Let the delegates
be here tomorrow night" said he,
''and the business men and people of
Cheyenne turn out ard l will explain my
scheme and open the way for Wyoming
that her ores may be worked at home and
plants be built all over Wyoming" Prof.
Mead said he had design whereby Wyo-
ming could display her mineral specimens
to the best advantage. He thought the
specimens down stairs very good and said
the oil was so per sent cheaper than coal
as q fuel.
1t has been announced that Prof.
Mead OF Cheyenne and Prot. Mead oil
Omaha will both talk tonight. Some ofthe
leading spirits of the convention desire to
have . big crowd put tonight and they
seem to think the newspapers should gel
the crowd for them. For this reason thi.
reporter wishes to make a suggestion
Choke off our Cheyenne orators who wish
to air their theories and limit the speeches
at least those who seem never to tire o
listening 10 the sound of their own voices
If there are not enough short meat.
speeches, sandwich in a little good must
to entertain the people. There should b
a special effort made to get the people on
tonight. In addition to those alread
named Geo. f. CAMS of Saratoga and