Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-15

stock on the market. The Oldest miners Of
Colorado say that Cripple Greek viii last
for fifty years. and an kinds OF fabulous
estimates are made as to the amount Of
gold which viii be turned out Gov. Grant.
the manager OF the Grant and Omaha
smelter at Denver. Is reported as saying
that in seventeen years Cripple Creek win
produce $500, 000. 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,
rather sanguine operator tells me that he
does not believe you could buy all the
mines Of this region today for 500. coo, 900
cash. and the man who expects to come to
ing will go away sorrewfuL One property
which promises we'll Is the Doctor mine
1t Is situated on Raven HILL and is as yet
barely more than a prospect, but its own
It. It is the property of two men who came
10 the Rockies with a little money and
bought the Chief mine and the Doctor
mine. two claims which lay side by side on
On the Chief. 1t failed to pay, ana they
at last got $4,000 in the hole They then
gave the work up for time in disgust.
onortly after this miner came to them
ana onered to lease the mines and to give
them a portion of the profits. They &C
guessed, and he went to work. Within a
few weeks he had taken out $50 GOO from a
slrsle great lode which he discovered. He
struck crystallfZed gold in the quartz by
shooting down the sides of their old work
iEss with dynamite, and the result is that
the Doctor Is now valuable property.
How Miners Steal Gold.
1t Is generally known that large part of
the Cripple Creek ore Is Of a very low grade
Much of 1t has to be reduced by the cyanide
process In order to pay, but there are spots
IN nearly every mine where large amounts
OF high-grade gold have been found The
high-grade ore of the Victor mine averages
ABOUT 500 ton. and the average value of
the shipments of Cripple Creek ore last year
Is estimated at $50 a ton. Now and then
rich pocket Is struck, however, which will
pay thousand dollars and upward a ton
and such places in the mines are carefully
watched, for fear the miners will carry away
the gold. The manager of one of the big.
gest gold mines told me that he often had
his miners searched before they left the
mine, and In certain parts of the mines they
were always required to change their
clothes upon coming In and going out Not
long ago miner was suspected of steal
ing ore. His cabin was searched and more
than 81 800 worth of rich gold-bearing rock
was found. he had carried out the richest
pieces from time to time in his pockets and
al together had taken out ninety-six
pounds. which was worth SIG a pound or
$1,536 worth of ore.
Leasing Mines
Speaking Of the leasing of the Doctor
mine, the custom Of leasing mines is very
common here. Men will take mines and
work them for a certain time for a fixed
price, or for a proportion of the gold gotten
out. There are many men who have good
prospects who have not the money to work
them. and one with a moderate amount of
capital can either get lease on such pros
poets or buy share in them. Take for in
stance, the Anchoria Leland mine the stock
OF which was selling for four cents a share
about year or SO ago. 1t has this year
sold for 50 share and it is practically not
Tor sale in the exchanges. This mine was
opened up by lease. 1t was not considered
worth much until a man named Maioney
from Dakota came through Cripple Creek
on his way to Leadville He looked at the
mine and leased it. He spent 81 500 in OPEN
ing it up, and in one year. i am told he took
$4oo.0O0 worth of gold out of it, His lease
has now expired. and the mine will be
worked by the stockholders.
Mfliionaires of Cripple Creek.
could give numerous other instances of
fortune making in mines. l could find per-
haps ten thousand times as many in
stances of men losing in Mines but min
Ing is In reality a legitimate business, and
l believe if followed with the same care,