The state herald., 1893-06-09
IrAE NORTHWESTERN REGION.
real value OF Discoveries In wsshingten
Rules for Mining In Drit;sh
NcVu,nhtu

Columbia.
George James, who returned 10 Aspen oas
Wednesday night from q two months' pros
pccting trip to tho new gold fields OF TIE Z.
undoubtedly rich In both gold and silver, bus
that man will have to work 10 get u lust tho
samo ~ In other mining camps Of tho coun. Z
try.
laws will greatly retard tho Development o.
the country, for the simple reason that they
give man who locates claim any timo
during thls year until from next January TO
do his hundred dollars' worth OF work.
Under this arrangement the entire country
has been stakod by ranchmen and other resi-
dents OF the country, who have no intention
Of developing the property, but arc simply
holding II for speculative purposes. In this
way 1t 10 almost impossible for msn who
Wishes to invest money for the purpose o.
developing property TO obtain desiA nio
claim without buying II and paying fancy
price for the same.
Mr.. James says that the reports sent out
Of the great richness Of tho country are high.
ly exaggerated, and for this reason many Of
the people who 60 into the country with the
Intention Of remaining, become dlsappointAd
when they find 1t 10 not what II Il cracked ~
10 be, and At once turn around and come
back without doing any prospecting q all OF
Investigating the real resources OF the dis
trict.
One story that was being largely circulated
was TO the effect that on one Of the properties
In the district big mill was being operated
night and day, and even then It was imposs
slble for II 70 handle all OF tho orc produced.
When they found the mill II proved to DO .
cartcd about over the country b. four burros.
After seeing II, 1t was easy u believe that ths
ore produced was greater than the capacity o$
the mill, for the simple reason that one able
bodied miner could break ~ much ore In -
day a. the two stamps were able 70 handle In
. week.
In spite Of all this he believes that 10 tho
course Of time that this country Il destined 70
come to the front a. one Of the richest mining
sections In the entire Northwest, and that II n
man has little money and IL satishcd 10 60
In there and work hard and rough u for two
at the end Of that time with fairly good
stake.
They met several Aspen boys In the country,
most Of whom had secured fairly good pros
poets which would undoubtedly make them,
some money II they stuck to them. Durinss
the trip they crossed over the line from Wash
ington Into British Columbia, and found that
the mining industry WAS better developed on
that aide Of the line than on this. Tho min.
Ing laws over there arc considerably different
from what they arc In this country and IN
many ways are more favorable to the prospccr
tors.
One thing that helps the miner out Is tho
fact that II n man discovers mineral he will
have but very little trouble getting It to mar
ket, for the simple reason that ~ soon ~ n
man can show that he has anything worth
shipping the government will at once build =
road to his property.
Another thing that, in his opinion, assists
In developing the resources OF the country
across the line is that while the claims there
are much larger than they are In this country,
being LOO feet square, an man can locate or
own but two claims In each district, and tho
districts are rs large MS average counties In
this country. This, Of course prevents indi-
viduals or companies from locating all tho
good ground In sight and holding II for specu-
latlon. Before man can prospect there hc
has to have license from the district inspec-
tor and must report all locations and dIscover-
lea to the inspector rs soon as they are made.
-Jspen Times