Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-20
A COUNTRY RICH IN MINERAL RE-
SOURCES.


The letters of Col. T. w. Brooks to the
HERALD, giving clear and detailed &C
count of the unexploited natural wealth
of the country lying between South
eastern California and Utah, have at
fracted wide and interested attention.
Colonel Brooks has juss visited many OF
the mining districts on the line OF the
protected railroad to Utah, and shows
that an immensity of mineral wealth
would be developed if reasonable trans
portation could only be had. However
rich this interior country may be in
precious metals and in natural chem
icals, their production cannot be made
to pay as long as all the supplies of the
miners and workers have to be brought
Immense distances in wagons over
difficult and desert country, at mini
znum cost Of $50 per ton. The same
must be paid for hauling the rich ores
and every other thing that is sent to the
nearest railroad stations.
The district of Pahrump, for instance,
is located in Nye county, ITO miles from
Dacgett. In this district is the great
Montgomery mine, or series of mines, OF
which we have heard SO much lately. A
great amount of work has been done in
this mine and its extensions, and al
though the ore is rich, yet everything is
40 dear ON account Of the high cost OF
transportation that it will not pay to
carry on the work as it ought to be pros
.ecuted. Wherever rich pockets can be
opened it will pay to work them; but in
the permanent lodges. where steady de-
yelopment would open up valuable
properties, the cost of transportation by
teams is too great to justify energetic
exploitation. With q railroad between
Los Angeles and Utah all these mines,
and scores of mines in other districts,
would become hives of industry and en-
ploy thousands of well-paid workers.
A glance at the natural resources OF
this rich interior section will show the
vast amount of business that could be
developed by the railroad which con-
meets it with Salt Lake City and Los An
geles. Colonel Brooks says that under
the head of all classes of minerals
volumes could be written without
doing full justice to the coun-
try. In part of Nye
and Lincoln counties, Nevada, and Inyo
and San BernardiEo counties, California,
including a territory OF $50 miles square,
there is every variety of mineral known
to exist in the earth. Colonel Brooks
says: .sThe precious metals, gold, silver,
etc. comprise much the smaller part of
the variety contained in the section
alluded to. The massive mountains of
high grade magnetic iron and the ex-
pansive valleys and mountains of salt,
the purest to be found upon this globe,
are here in quantities, possibly ade-
ouate to the demands of America for all
time to come. OF the latter article a
fourteen mule team, twelve to fifteen
tons. was loaded with but one powder
blast. In several localities marble of an
extra fine quality is found, closely ap-
proximating the Italian marble in
quality, and one especial variety is
superior in every respect to the Venetian
marble. In the list Of kalinites (talc),
inter. sulphur, magnesia, calcium, pot
ash. soda, epson salts, borate of soda,
borate of lime and dozen other useful
and valuable minerals and compounds
are here wrapped up in natures lap OF
isolation aud quietude, awaiting the
purpose for which they were created
the benefit of mankind"
Here, certainly, is list OF treasures
which if proftably developed would
make any country rich. All this extern
sive region is the natural tributary to
Los Angeles. The impetus which the
successful working OF the mines, the
salt and soda works, the quarries and
the borax fields of this region would
give to the business of our city, and the
vast supplies that would be consumed
by the camps that would grow up, and
abe important market which these
camps would create for the products of
our farmers-all this would give rise to
n condition OF affairs in this section that
would be of incalculable advantage to
Mll classes of our people. When the
railroad arouses into active life the
dormant mining districts Of our
interior an era of prosperity will begin
here that will.in few years make this
end of the state the most populous sec
tion of California, and in time the
weaIthieat. -
TA.sra CnAMrR who died in Chicago