The record-union., 1892-06-15
MINING ASSOCIATIONS.
The Great Work That Demands Their
Best Attention.
An Industry With Millions In 1t If
Conducted on Proper Busi-
ness Principles.

CoPPERoPoLIs, June 13.-Recent appli-
cations of electric transmission make it
possible to furnish power for mines al
most anywhere in the mountains at a
cost that is nominal compared with that
of steam. COLONIZATION works save great
percentage of bullion formerly wasted by
concentrarors. Machine drills and more
effective explosives have all helped TO re-
duce the cost and increase the yield of
mines, and the industry should be on a
more substantial basis and offer more
attractions to capital than it ever did be-
fore. Many mines are worked at gross
fairly say that there are mountains of
ore that can now be proftably worked
that no one would have thought of work
ing in the old days. What 1 have seen
and learned of quartz mining on the
mother lode," stretching for hundreds
of miles along the western slope of the
SierraS, perSuades me that where mining
is entered upon as legitimate business
with requisite capital, skill and expert
ence, it is as safe as merchandising or
even farming.
Hardly any other branch of business
would survive at all if conducted under
such disadvantages and disregard of bus
ness principles as has attended a great
share of mining enterprises. Not less
than half the cause Of decline may be as
signed to the speculative methods of
dealing in mining property in San Fran
cisco. Again, management has often been
entrusted to men wholly inexperienced,
who have wasted thousands on unneces-
sary work, eXtravagant methods and
experiments that had already been de-
monStrated failures.
Agricultural patents have been issued
by the hundred to mining lands through
very little perjury done by men of easy
conscience. Land is fenced in with barb
wire, and no miner can prospect there
without becoming a treSpaSSer. In many
instances owners forbid prospecting, and
in almost all demand an exorbitant price
for the property or a large interest in the
discovery. Again, parties have often
started with capital so limited that they
were forced to realize almost at once. and
so built their mill before they had much
ore in sight. Very often it happened that
the supply was exhausted before the ma
chinery was fairly worn smooth. The
ordinary life Of quartz mill is twenty
years and the extreme capacity cannot be
figured at much less than a thousand
tons per year for each stamp, or 10000
tons during the life of the mill.
Where shafts and levels or the work of
the diamond drill has demonstrated be-
tore the mill was built that some reaSona-
bic share OF that amount of pay ore was
IN sight mines have proven successful
No one who makes even q superficial
examination of the business as whole
can fail to be convinced that as a legiti-
mate, solid industry the business is vet
in its infancy, and that no business con-
Quoted In California Is so much in need
OF better system and more intelligent
legislation.
The associations of miners that are now
being formed in the various counties
have far more comprehensive work be-
fore them than to render moral support
to hydraulic miners in their trouble with
the agricultural interests. Indeed, the
friendly feeling now existing and likely
to be fostered by disposition on the
part Of the great mass of miners to use
their property in way to avoid injury
to others is endangered by certain par
ties who show disposition to ignore
other interests in opening up their claims
where the law shall permit, l see and
hear things that convince me that asso-
Citations representing hydraulic interests
need to exercise great caution and
strong restraining influence to prevent a
few from provoking opposition. to the
injury of the whole.
These thoughts may fairly be consid-
cred Introductory to certain remedies
suggested by G. Mem. Ross, Su-
perintendent of the Union mine of Cop
peropolis, who has given these questions
much careful study. His ideas are pre-
sented in another letter.
FRANK S. CHAPLIN.