The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-16

he is building a house at Colorado Springs
which will cost him something like $4,000.
His Offices are of the most unpretentious
nature, and he secluGes himself in order 10
keep off the beggars. For some weeks he
had 70 have a policeman about his home at
Cripple Creek TO keep the crowd away
from him, and his private secretary tells
me that he receives about two hundred
begging letters a day. He~fs not a mean
man. but he has no idea of the possibilities
nor the pleasure of giving. His charities
so far have been purely individual. and in
nc st cases to his friends Not long ago his
driver saved his life and that of his sister
by keeping the horses in the road during
an attempted Runaway. AT the end of the
drive Stratton gave the man a check for
81, 900. He has given his wife. who is sepa-
rated from him, $50, 1000, and | am told that
he frequently hands checks OF bills TO his
sister, who lives with him. He is said TO
be very sensitive as to being asked for
money, and a friend of his tells me that his
sister never says a word about wanting a
dollar. L have heard it suggested that if
she did so it would not be forthcoming.
She just waits and he gives her a check
for one, two or five hundred dollars, as the
spirit moves him.
THREE POOR MEN MADE MILLIONS.
Stratton received more than $12. 900 last
year in dividends from his stock in the
Portland gold mine. This mine lies just
back of the independence. and its enormous
frame buildings can be seen for miles about
Cripple Creek. Its chief owners are three
men. who were almost down on their up
perss five years ago, but who. through it,
are now enormously wealthy. Their mine
produced last year more than $4,000 900
worth of gold, and its president, James F.
Burns. says that if it were worked to its
full capacity il could turn out more than
$40. 000.0 900 this year. At the time Stratton
discovered the independence mine Burns
was working at his trade as a plumber.
One of his partners. James Doyle, was then
saving and planning as a carpenter, and the
third partner, John Harnan, was working
on the road in Colorado Springs. holding a
scraper for 10 cents an hour. 1t was Har-
nan who discovered the mine. His claim at
the start was not bigger than the average
city lot. but the property surrounding it,
which has since been purchased by these
three men. now embraces about 40 acres.
Harnan had been working fer some time on
his little city lot claim, while Burns ana
Doyle had staked out a claim a little fur
Their uD. the mountain. Their claim was
rather close to the independence. They had
worked at il for some time and yet dis
covered nothing. Harnan had been doing
some prospecting for Stratton. He had
been down in the independence mine, and
he knew it's wonderful riches. He thought
that Burns and Doyle had a good thing,
and he asked them how much they would
give him if he would take the claim and
show that it was worth something. They
aD1s4 III r-.,I1 - IL
He at once went to work and soon struck
Fay rock which was wonderfully valu-
able. For some time they tried to keep the
fact a secret. for they knew that if Dave
Moffat and the other capitalists who were
working about them should learn of the
value Of the property they would buy all
the claims about it,. So they got their or.
out in secret and carried IL down from the
mine at night in sacks on their backs.
As the ore got richer the sacks were not
large enough to carry all they wanted
So one night they took a wagon up to the
mine and prepared to haul it away by the
wagon load. They overloaded their wagon.
however, and it broke down just as they
were about TO leave the mine. The next
day the ore was found on the side of the
hill with a broken wagon near it. This
showed the value of the mine and from
that time on they hauled their ore out.
They had. however. to fight for their
rights. Other miners tried to jump their
claim, and Burns took a shotgun and drove
them out at the point of it. They had
forty-seven lawsuits about their title, but
their ore was so valuable that they were
able to pay for the best legal talent and
held their own. They got Stratton TO go
in with them and they added the Anna Lee
and other mines TO their property until il
Is now one of the most valuable in the
world. President Burns estimates that
their average output is worth $40 a ton.
and he says that there is one streak of ore
in the mine that is worth about s3s. 900 a
ton, the rock running nineteen ounces of
gold to the ton. AT the selling value OF the
Portland stock, the property is worth be-
tween 81 600. 0C0 and s., O00, 600, and venture
you could not buy it for $1,000, 900. They
paid last year more than $3.50, 600 in divi-
dends, and until last year they were pay
ing J cents a share in dividends every
month. They have given a pledge to their
stockholders that they will pay Sc per
cent. in dividends this year, and they claim
that they have not begun to get near the
end of their wonderful gold treasure. The
mine has now. it is said, five miles of work
ings, and its machinery is some of the
finest known.
THE DOCTOR NINE.
Many of the best mines here have no
stock on the market. The oldest miners of
Colorado say that Cripple Creek will las,
for fifty years, and all kinds of fabulous
estimates are made as to the amount of
gold which will be turned out. Governor
Grant, the manager of the Grant and
Omaha smelter at Denver, is reported as
saying that in seventeen years Cripple
Greek will produce $500, 600. 600 worth of gold.
The result of this belief is that the own
ers of the mines hold their property very
high. There are mere holes in the ground
here which have so far produced nothing
but which are capitalized for millions. One
rather sanguine operator tells me that he
does not believe you could buy all the
mines of this region to-day for 500. Ooo. OC
cash, and the man who expects to come "a
Cripple Creek and get something for moth
ing will go away sorrowful. One property
1t is situated on Raven hill, and as vel
barely more than a prospect, but its own
ers, / am told. would not take a million TO,
ii. 1t is the property of two men who came
to the Rockies with a little money and
bought the Chief mine and the Doctor
mine, two claims which lay side by side or
Raven hill. They scent their first none,
on the Chief. II failed to pay. and they
at last got $4,000 in the hole. They Their