The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-09-19
JERSEYS ELDORADo.
The Strange Case Of the |" Sur
prise" Gold Nine
Assayer WiIls's Alleged Exposure
and Other Opinions.
A Few Notes on "Sweeps" 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, a suburb of Newark.
ore 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 ]. Lainson Wills, an as
ssyer, who exposes. or pretends to ex-
pose. 4 fraud In the whole enterprise.
The mine lis located upon the farm Of
John Van Ness. in the Ramapo Noun
talns,so called, near Pompton Plains.
He found a glittering substance In the
outcropping rock on his hillside some
years ago, and concluded he had struck
gold. Various assays are said to have
developed from samples not only gold,
but silver as we'll The assays are also
said not to have done so.
Thomas Benfeld, silent partner of
Keller & Untermeyer. manufacturers
Of watch cases and jewelry, at 1872
Broadway, however. was persuaded to
have faith in the indications, as was
Mr.. Untermeyer later on.
They began to blast and dig into
Farmer Van Ness's hillside, and built
mill at Newark. The mine was christ
ened 1.-THE SURPRISE" and the mill be-
longs to 1.-THE Surprise Mining Com
pany."
There is a confusion about results and
reports OF the same. Prof. Pierre de
Puyster Ricketts,, of the Columbia Col
lege faculty, who has private assaying
office at 1G John street, tested some Of
encouraging or discouraging. Just as one
The organization of the stock company
gentleman named above, Alexander
Milne, President Of the Newark Watch
Case Material Company; William Arthur.
douglas, President Of the German Ma
tional Bank, Of Newark.
When the mill was built G. F. Nader,
& Untermeyer, was made superintendent.
The investors began to discover that
while they were able to get paying re-
suits from small quantities Of oreIsuch
lots were 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
who lives in Brooklyn. He was en-
gagged with the agreement, as he says,
that he was to get 5000 a year II he
sG sd pa MAKE arga an ds Of
or both: He was just week in the en-
ploy Of the Surprise Mining Company.
and the conditions Of his departure . are:
Of this enterprise, a matter Of varying
report.
and that he was unable to get any re-
| turns from large or small miI1ings of the
ore, while a trusted employee. undoubt-
eddy referring to Mr.. Nader. was al
ways able to make a profitabl showing.
turning out Indications at one time of
nearly $50 ounces Of silver to the ton.
wills says that he grew suspicious
Ing case, so that he was enabled to see
"trusted employee" behind him de-
llberately dose his crucible with silver
shat he f reported the matter and was Was
discharged with the offer Of 500 for his
weeks work. He declined this, and
Nked for $500. which was refused. and
Mr. Madden briefly says that Wills
! rs not competent for the work in
s y l. and sshed that ss5o when he offered him
Now the memebers of the Company say
hat some Of their employees have been
able to extract showings of 81, 10000, gold
and silver, to the ton, which Is all that
could be expected from the mines of
0rmus 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 s12 in another.
Prof. Ricketts, says that he got $lH
showing from one sample that came
from Jersey and $l075 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 1t 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 1t in paying quanti-
ties. He does not believe that the
precious metal exists TO any profitable
extent in this neighborhood.
Mr.. Untermeyer was seen at his
Office to-day. He began by saying that
the mine and mill were private enter
prise. that the Company was not trying
70 sell stock. and II its members were
iooiing themselves, they alone would