The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-09-19
JERSEYS ELDORADO.
The Strange Case of the Fl" Sur
prise" Gold Mine.
Assayer WiIIs's Alleged Exposure
and Other Opinions.
A Few Notes on "Sweepso from
Watch Case Factories.

A gold mine located at Pompton
Plains, N. j., about twenty-five miles
from New York, and a gold stamping
mill in Woodside, suburb of Newark,
are being operated under a representa-
tive capital of $4,000.
The mine can best be described as a
quarry placer" and has been run
about 200 feet into the hillside with an
opening of seventy feet wide. The mill
is running under full Roadway, and SO
far as the owners and promoters of the
joint plant are concerned, 1t Is appa-
rently a serious matter of business full
of promise.
Now, comes j. Lainson Wills, an as
sayer, who exposes, or pretends to ex-
pose, fraud in the whole enterprise.
The mine is located upon the farm of
John Van Ness, in the Ramapo Noun
tains,so called, near Pompton Plains.
He found glittering substance in the
outcropping rock on his hillside some
years ago. and concluded he .. struck
gold. various a.. IRE ave
developed from : ...s id.
but silver as well. me Il. 20
said not to have done so.
Thomas Benfield, silent partner of
Keller & Untermeyer, manufacturers
of watch cases Ani jewery, at 1872
Broadway, howeN was persuaded to
have faith in Il Indications, as was
Mr. Untermeyer .a,ef on.
They began to blast and dig into
Farmer Van Ness's hillside, and built
mill at Newark. The mine was christ
ened THE Surprise" and the mill be-
longs to THE Surprise Mining Com
pany."
There Is confusion about results and
reports Of the same. Prof; Pierre de
lege faculty, who has private assaying
office at lO4 John street. tested some of
the so-called ore, and his returns were
has a mind to regard them.
The organization of the stock company
went on, and nov, includes, beside the
gentleman named above, Alexander
Milne, President of the Newark Watch
Case Material Company; William Arthur.
or the sane company, and Edwin NJ.
tional Bank, of Newark.
When the mill was built c. f. Nader.
an old. and trusted employee of Keller
& Untermeyer, was made superintendent.
while they were able to get paying re-
suits from small quantities of ore-such
as 10O-pound lots-their efforts with ton
lots We're most unsatisfactory.
They therefore concluded that they
needed first-class metallurgist and as
sayer to solve this puzzle. and advertised
for one in The Engineering and Mining
Journal.
The advertisement was answered by
j. Lainson Wills, a Canadian assayer,
who lives in Brooklyn. He was en-
that he was to get 5000 a year II he
could make large quantities of ore
yield paying quantities of gold or silver
poy Of the Surprise Mining Company,
and the conditions of his departure are.
as almost every feature of the history
of this enterprise, matter of varying
report.
He declares that there is no gold there,
and that he was unable to get any re-
turns from large or small millings Of the
ore, while trusted employee. undoubt-
eddy referring to Mr.. Nader, was al
ways able to make a profitable showing.
turning out indications at one, time of
nearly $50 ounces of silver to the ton.
Wills says. that he grew suspicious
and arranged a mirror over his work.
ing case. so that he was enabled to see
lberately dose his crucible with silver
filings from "A pan at his side. He says
j. that he reported the matter and was
discharged with the offer of 800 for his
asked for $500, which was refused, and
he will sue.
was not competent for the work in
hand, and that when he offered him
S0a he asked $3.50.
Now the memebers of the Company say
that some Of their employees have been
abe to extract slowings of $4,000, gold
and silver, to the ton, which Is all that
could be expected from the mines OF
Ormus and indie, and that they have
certificates from Prof. Ricketts, showing
that he was able to find Sc of precious
metal to the ton in one sample of the
Pompton ore and $l2 in another.
Prof. Ricketts, says that he got H.24
showing from one sample that came
from Jersey and $l0.75 in another, which
the Company says was from the same
SPOT but which Wills declares came
from Maryland.
Prof. Ricketts, says that gold is so
widely diffused through the structure
OF the earth that it can be found in
traces almost anywhere. He demon
strated a few years ago that there was
gold in the rocks of Central Park. The
difficulty is to find it in paying quanti-
ties He does not believe that the
precious metal exists TO any profitable
extent in this neighborhood
MI Cntermeyer was, seen at has
office to-day. He began by saying that
the mine and mill were a private enter
prise, that the Company was not trying
TO sell stock. and II its members were
tooling themselves, they alone would