The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1895-12-12
GOLD MINING REVW Al
How fhe Yellow Metal Lies in
Mother Earth.
The South African Mining Boom.
Astonishing Phenomena of Specv
latiOn Among BriGish Invest
ors in Gold Mining shares.


mentum was impaired by the shutting
down of the gravel mines, although the
fearful destruction of mining capita
had restricted unduly and held back
development and investment upon an
extensive scale until quite recently,
says the Boston Traveller. From the
rich outcrop pounded up in the ordin-
ary hand mortar, to the adoption of the
Spanish arastra as means Of grind
ing rock by horse power, and from
these primitive methods to the German
wooden stamp mill, with iron shoes,
driven by water or steam, to the mod
ern iron and steel stamp mill equipped
with silvered copper plates and concen-
traitors, and all appliances to save the
gold sulphates in the ores, the growth
was constant and the Improvement
very marked.
Gold is soluble only in so-called aqua
regia or royal water, a mixture of two
acids, which derives it's name from
the fact Of possessing the quality of dis
solving this royal metal. Thee specific
gravity of gold is very great, and it's
color when pure is of a deep rich vel
low, always remembered when once
seen. In all the metallurgical works of
extracting gold, quicksilver plays the
most important part ; owing to it's great
affinity for the precious metal it read
ily. amalgamates, so that by bringing
the crushed ore Of the ore vein or the
debris from from the gravel mine in
contact with the quicksilver, the latter
attracts, amalgamates and holds, in
this form the small particles of gold
which attach themselves together into
a silvely deposit of considerable hard
ness on the plates and recesses prepared
for its reception. By volatilizing the
quicksilver the gold remains in shape
which is marketable or which can be
reduced by further melting in cruel
BILE into a bar, Of the yellow metal,
which forms so important an essential
Of modern business life and trade, and
from which the coin Of the standard
is struck, OF given fneness and weight.
OF the remarkable deposits Of gold,
the Mother Lode'' of California, a
belt Of over 100 miles Of known extent
in length, and from one to fifteen miles
in width, on which are located many eel
9brated mines, is one Of the greatest
lodes extant. It exploration upon
large and liberal scale is just begin
ming, although isolated mines have in
the past made famous such mining
camps as Nevada City, Grass Valley,
jackson, Carson Hill and
Rawhide Ranch. A great deal of
Eastern capital now is interested in the
development Of gold mining in this
region among many of the companies
which have been capitalized recently
and which are in active operation
there at present are the Merced, con-
trolled by one OF the largest copper in
terests here; Pioneer, Santa Ysabel,
Santa Rosa and San Andreas compan-
les All of these are already produc-
ing, or are nearly ready SO to do. As
Boston always has been the center Of
the mining interests in, this country,
particularly in copper, it seems doubly
in gold mining this city should be the
hrst f to respond to the movement. With
the traditional Boston conservative
in control, great results
are expected from the operation Of
mines in that section.
A very remarkable deposit is located |
at Cripple Greek, Colorado, in which
Boston capital also is largely interested, |
through such mines as the National
Hecla, the Gold Coin, and Boston and
Cripple Creek. Here the formation is
! combination Of gold and telluric acid,
found in the shape Of white metal, /
Known as sylvanite, which upon being
subjected to heat assumes it's natural |
yellow color It is to be remembered
hat this camp lies at the foot of Pixies
Peak, toward and around which the
gold craze Of 1860 led SO many people to
The mines, and during which time
great prairie schooner was vending
It's way with the inscription Of Pike S
Peak or Bust boldly lettered on it's
'anvas Sides Many are the stories of
quickly acquired wealth which are told
# this district. Allowances should be
made, Of course, for the magnified
tatements of all miners, but it never
heless is fact that a very unostenta-
lous carpenter found the celebrated In
mine, which raised him
rom a poverty stricken job carpenter
nd day laborer to a multi millionaire
n the short space of a few days, who 4
las refused an offer of over So, 900. 900
or his treasure.
The production of this wonderfully
ich mine has been the cause Of many
newspaper story Shipment were
lade in September of train load of
fteen cars of ore from the mine to the
melter this was the biggest shipment ,
yer recorded of the output Of single
roducer, and was estimated variously
rom ron $500, 900 to $1,00O,O00 in value.
he following incident is of no. excep- t
onal character, and serves to show the
verage progress Of mine from mere 4
lalm to dividend payer. About l
1ree years ago a prospector located a .
aim, and after a very little develop 8
lent it looked SO well that party of /
len from neighboring city purchased a
for $780, 900. From thence the price I
use through different options to $780, a
~, IN the meantime paying over
100, 600 in dividends, and cannot be