Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1892-11-19

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Silver Per Toa-A Small Army Of
Laborers Robbed Of Several Months,
Wages.
Under the heading Bought sailed
mine," the Salt Lake Tribune Of yes
ferday publishes dispatch which re-
calls to MUD q swindie which was
quite noted here a few years ago. The
dispatch is as follows:
BOISE CITY, Ida, Nov. 17.-Alex-
ander Womble, the San Francisco
mining expert, has come in from Silver
Mountain in Boise county, where he
had been sent by English capitalists
to pass final judgment upon the
valueless hole in the ground which
several years ago the notorious Matt
Graham "salted" so artistically that a
British company eagerly wasted over
81 ,OOO,O0O upon it. After a critical
inspection of the bogus mine Womble
decided that the property was abso-
lutely worthless. Not single pay
streak could be found; nothing hut
barren country rock through which for
thousands Of feet shafts and tunnels had
been driven by the hopeful miners.
The splendid mining and milling ma
chinery, the original cost OF which ran
way up into the hundreds Of thou
sands, and the transportation of which
into that almost inaccessible country
cost a generous fortune. Mr.. Wom-
tile will now proceed to England and
report to the vic,imized company, who
will then decide what to do with their
expensive outfit. The Silver Noun.
tain svindle, while itgreatly bene 6ted
Matt Graham, resulted disastrously
for Idaho, British capitalists still be.
ing wary of investing money in rich
but undeveloped mines of this State.
M. Womb!e is well-known to Minis
ing men. He came here some years
ago to examine the Camas No. 2
group, when under bond for $4,000,
900. He is a good judge of mines,
and his reputation is without blemish.
The mines referred to were placed
with an English syndicate in London
by Matt. Graham, an old miner of the
Basin aud Of Alfalfa, and the father
in law of George NJ. Parsons, OF this
city, who is the attorney general Of
Idaho-elect, and who vent to London
with Mr.. Graham.
On his return from London Mr..
Parsons went to Silver Mount ain, and
A. Wolters, Steve James, Edwin
Bartsch and dozens of Others followed
him there from Wood River. Many
ethers-miners, milamen, woodchop-
pers. Transfers, ETC., also went to
Silver Mountain. Some OF them NAV
have received = part or all OF their
wages, but it is certain that when the
works were closed no one was paid
Yes. One man was paid. That was
Mr.. Wolters. His experience else.
where having enabled him to guess
what was coming, he purposely got
iato . quarrel with the financial
manager of the concern, who had
come from England to handle the
company's funds. and that officer
thereupon paid him off. In this way
Mr.. Wolters got the $500 or 1900
due him. But no one else got cent
that any one here knows Of.
The company constructed as fine q
mill as could be found in the world,
and spent all of $3S0,O0O before drop
ping a stamp. When the mill starte d
it was in charge of Mr.. Wolters. He
took the battery samples and super
vised and checked the assays. The
tore," after sorting down seven
tons into one, assayed an average Of
two ounces Of silver per ton. Silver
was then worth more than it Is now.
The price was about sI.05 per ounce.
But any disintcrested person can
easily see that it was not the yield OF
tho Silver Mountain mines that broke
the price to so odd cents.
After spending about half ambition
dollars altogether the English COM
pauy concluded to quit work. It did
so. Attachments followed, the Boise
merehants-like Nathan Falk, John
Lemp, aud others-getting in first,