Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-09-23
OUR w BATCH.
Large Number of Splendid New
Strikes Reported From the Boss
Gold Camp.
SOME NEW CAMP VISITORS,

Special Correspondence Of the Optic.
HoPEwELL, N. M, September 18th.
WHO says Friday is an unlucky day /!
Several rich and important strikes RS
ported this evening and the good peo-
pie of Hopewell are correspondingly
happy. The Jubilant feeling that pre-
walls in a mining camp when a good
strike is made often leads to exagger-
alton and the delicious morsel Of news
frequently reaches the public in q ro-
seate hue, the blue pencil of the con-
scientious editor to the contrary not.
withstanding. But in this, as in all
other mining correspondence, the
writer will stick as close as possible to
that rare exotic-the unvarnished
truth. rN
f. G. Erb, who gathers his daily in
spiration from the columns OF The
OpTIc, is the fret Of the lucky ones to
command attention. He set tbs camp
aglow, this evening, by . free gold
strike in the "Little Mary" the prop.
erty of the Eureka company, chiefly
composed Of railroad dispatchers for
whom he is superintendent. The de-
velopment of the mine consists of a
shaft thirty. five feet, from the bottom
of which a drift of about thirty-fiye feet
has been run to encounter the ore body.
This afternoon while working at the
breast of the drift Rein Smith ran up
against the ore body, and the first
chunk of the chocolate covered stuff he
pulled out was literally coated with
the yellow metal. II was about quit
ting time, and Smith did not wait to
test the width of the rich pay streak,
but came o town post haste to report
the good news.
Coincident with the strike was the
arrival In camp of c. Fl. Bristol, of
Ration, president of the Eureka COM
pany. On his way to the camp, MIR.
| Bristol went over to Cow Creek to ex-
anime the "Yellow Dog'' property and
in taking a short cut to reach here on
horseback with a guide, got lost and
put in a freezing night in the qdakIng
| asp with a saddle blanket for covering
and a chilly, t~witching sensation thai
kept up its lick like a Ration ticker. A
glimpse at the brown agatized quartz.
lustrous with free gold, restored his
spirits to normal pleasantness.
Charles Belvill, of Topeka, Kansas,
is possibly the happiest mortal in camp,
and the grand army veteran is jump
ing around as frisk as q kitten showing
his friends rich specimens from his big
strike. The "Jennie B." as he calls
the mine, shows up the biggest body
of mineralized quartz yet opened up in
the district. J. P. Rinker pronounces
the quartz quite similar in character to
that of the rich ores in the ssJaw Bone"
mine. No assays have yet been made,
but it is the general opinion of the best
posted men in the camp that the ore
will run high, especially when depth is
reached. The "Conductor" mine on
this same lead Is the property of Con-
ductor A. P. Gatchell, Of Las Vegas
In sinking on the "Cinnabar" leased
ground to-day, Michael Cogan, n of
the l~essees, opened up an unexpected
streak of exceedingly rich gold quartz.
The lesses will soon make q shipment
OF ore that will rival some of the
famous shipments from Cripple Greek
And IN this connection let me say that
if Hopewell were in Colorado it would
be as much talked about as Cripple
Greek ever was. But it is in New
Mexico and must work out IFS own sal
walton by a very slow process and wait
patiently for its merits to become
known. Apart from THE OPTIC, this
camp has received but slight attention
from the press. And your correspond
ent would like to see more generous
recognition by mine owners OF The
OPrIC's valuable services, but while
everybody here is rich in prospects
and mines, money is as a r as the
proverbial hens teeth.
Hopewell may be said to be on
wheels, and is destined at no distant
day to move along at q locomotive
pace And why notPs twenty-five To-
connective engineers OF the Santa Fe
system will shortly be interested in the
camp. This number includes the en-.
gineers now members OF the Iron Noun
tain company and nine or ten others
who have formed a company In Ration
for mining purposes.
Engineers George A. Lyman and R.
w. Sizer, OF Ration, representing the
latter company. spent yesterday and
the day before in examining the mines
of this district and expressed them
selves well pleased with the outlook.
Your correspondent gathered from them
that they will report in favor of their
company taking hold in this camp. So
with the Santa Fe engineers, conduc.
tors and dispatchers and the G. B. &
@. officials, this will be an ideal rail-
road mans camp. |
And still another strike! In the
s.Pauline" tunnel, to-day, a rich look
ing streak of oxide of copper was cut
Who will be next to strike it richP
There are many who would like to see
The OPTfC sanctnm included in the
number of lucky ones. Its undaunted
championship OF the cause of free sill
YER merits u lucky turn. And, by the
way, what has become Of Prof. Tongue.
mare, the father OF the free and unlim-
tied coinage OF silver movement In the
Now that the movement is
threatened with success, is he lost 10
shum ? Your correspondent aided
him in getting up the Ell Paso, conven-
ton, the first free-silveru inter. stateI
convention held in the country, and
honored by being made its Tempo
rary chairman. Mexico sent several
and President Diaz had D
special representative there. ~ w
P. II. Martin, q prominent mining
expert, and Il. Mcdonald, q retired