Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1895-12-05
THU CITIZEN.
The Colorado Gold Fields.


/ A million month is the precious meta
product of the Cripple Greek district IN
( Colorado And this figure, big as it seems
! is inside rather than beyoud the monthly
| gold output, conservative rather than
liberal statement. The shipments fol
October were II, 500 tons of smelling ore
OF al average Yal1e OF $65 and 6,000 tons
Of milling ore ranging from S. to s35 pei
ton. with an average of SIS. The total
value OF high grade ores for October was
S962, 900 and of the low grade ores SlO2,-
90. The grand total of the product
reaches 81. .O64. OOO
The record for November will show an
increase. For the first Is days of Novem-
Der the shipments of high grade ores to
the smelters have averaged $50 tons daily
over the Colorado Midland, aud 250 daily
over the Denver and Rio Grande railway
These ores beld up to the October average
o. S65 per ton and returned to the shippers
in gross 1856, 900. The low grade ores
averaged higher. Figuring treights, mil
ling fees and mining the extraction of gold
from s. ore means a loss of So to Sc pei
ton TO the producer. November's low
grade ore has averaged $40 to the ton Oh
this class 265 tons daily have beer moved,
making for the first half of the month Q
value OF $l59, 900. If the tonnage con
tinues for the remainder of the month the
gross product will ne ST. 326, 600 There
is no question but the. output will continue,
as new strikes of high grade ores are made
daily. For instance, q car load of ore
lAaen from "Tbe Doctor mine few days
ago sold at the smelte. for $50, 900. II
was a narrow gauge Car and held but 10
tons.
Col. Thomas J. Moloney, formerly Oi
Kansas City, says that the Cripple Creek
district, which is six miles long by four
miles wide, will produce more gold this
year than the entire State sent to the mint
III 1894. The colonel made one fortune in
the Gunnison country and failed to CHING
t. it. He is now worth over $3.50, 900.
de has made this snug foI tune in two
years. This years product he placed al
$4,000, 900 for Cripple Creek, and at $lS,-
600, 900 for the State Last year Color ado,
according to the mint reports, produced
459. 152 ounces of gold, with coinage
value of SO, ,4S1, ,514.
The Portland company's mines turn out
hn Ipd
owned by W. S. Stratton, nets the owner
$l25, 900 monthly. 1t is single claim,
and Stratton, who is the sole owner, locat-
ed it four years ago. At that time he was
carpenter, and regarding himself in luck
when receiving So per day. He has clean
ed up So, 900. 900 from the mine since then.
and has worked it merely superficially.
He keeps but six en- employed, as he does
not care to work in the shaft toits full cspa-
city. He says a sudden accession of
wealth, such as an increase of the working
force would imply, might turn his head.
Stratton owns, also, quarter interest in
the Portland, besides list yard long of
less important properties.
Up to 1894 the gold product in the Grip
pie Creek region was principally from ores
found by prospeetors. 1t was not until
two years ago that any of the claims had
been developed into what light be justly
termed producing properties. In the be-
ginning of 1894 the enthusiastic prospec.
tors predicted an output of $1,000, 900.
The predictions might have been verified
bad it not been for the miners strike,
which caused the cessation of operations
for nearly five months This year the
operators and their men have lived happi-
ly on basis of So per day of eight hours.
Most of the producing mines work three
shifts OF men.
1t was asserted by the miners that this
country, containing "a square miles, con-
talns more riches tn an any other region OF
the world. There is some basis for this
assertion OF the many claims staked out
hundreds are held by the assessm ent work
only. The owners lack fulads to develop,
or hold their claims for speculative pur-
poses.
1t is probable that fewer than 100
miners are regularA shippers of ore, and
perhaps half the number are dividend
payers. One may count on his fingers the
companies and private owners whose
shafts aud tunnels are deeper than 200
feet. The production thus far has been
wholly superficial and incidental only to
the search for the principal vein. AS the
work on the leads progresses the ore be-
comes richer. The value is almost sus-
ceptible of exact calculation, when the
original assay at the surface and the depth
Of the shaft is known.
The golden we,lth of this part of Col
orado isnot limited to the Cripple Creek
fields Prospects at West Creek, about
20 miles from Colorado Springs, show
heavy gold deposits, and there is a rush of
miners to that territory. Senator Wclcott
and three other Denver capitalists have a
force of men prospecting near Woodland
Park, in FL Paso county. 25 miles from
Bripple Greek. They have found ores
near the surface which assay 5000 gold per
ton, but the specimens were, doubtless,
selected.
The population of Cripple Creek has in
creased in proportion to the development
of wealth. -Four years ago the dwellers
in the section numbered fewer than so at
the two or three stock camps In the
same territory there is now population
of $4,000. OF this number 20, 900 are men.