The sun., 1896-08-09


the best mines In the country were ploddin
along with antiquAted machinery, and were II
from lines Of railways. Tho cost OF conveyin
machinery and food from the East 10 the We,
was greater than the present cost of sendin
freight from Halifax, n. s.. all rail TO San Frar
cisco, Cal, thence by water to Molbourn,
Australia, and by rail to BallarAt. Twent
yenrs ago the mining Of silver was hur
by promoters who worked the foreig
Investors with false reports of the con
dltion OF mines, and who worked exclusivcl!
as stock -Jobbine schemers. They cared nothinr
about running mines as legitimate industries
conducted by educated mining engineers IA
miliar with the progress OF inventors in thu
| making OF improved machinery for producing
| larSn quantities Of metal at low cost. In 1856
| the bottom dropped out Uf mining speculatons
aud the foreign and domestic investors would
| not invest save In git-.dGed and we'll managed
| mines, of which there were hundreds run on
| business principles. Then the engineers began
to equip the mines with rock drills instead OF
hand Jumpers pounded with sledgc hammers,
steam hosts instead Of rope windlasses. air
eEhansts, miniature railways instead OF mules,
ard mics Of light mine railway werc built
to run to and from the trunk and local railways
which were built nll over the West in the pros
porous decade from 1850 TO 1890. As matter
OF course, the cost of producing silver was less
ened. and the mine owners wisely gave the
makers Of silverware the benefit OF the reduc-
tion In cost in order to stimulate the demand
for large quantities OF silver. The makers OF
plated ware from 1875 to 1850 had been adopt
ing he deposition of sl, or by electric dynamos
IN place OF the Liquid batteries Which had been
IN use since tho time when close plating
silver applied to hard metals with a solder
finish and economy of dynamo plating drove
batteries ont ot use III factories: and the falling
reduce the price Of silvcI plated ware. 80 that
makers Of itnnnia, speiter. and FURNISHED cop
per and brass wares Installed plating plants,
aud then slycr-plated wares were srid FOR the
prices furmcrl' asked fo- unplated wires. kll
The while the makers of inning machinery wers
adding improvements and making 1t posr'ble
for miners To produce silver. copper. lee 1, hulld-
ing atone aad coal at prices shading dcwrwa-d
every year. II began to be the case ,ha. silver
mines equipreh with proper machinery turned
OUT products at prices ranging from thirty
to sixty.tlye pSer cent. below the cost
tlqunted methods. It was as imposslblo
for the mine with old u!e thods 20 compete with
with steam railroads in carrying cotton bales
from the South to Hew England. Sril, Improve
went on. and silver came to a hgure which in
duced the makers Of silver plated ware to put
IN INK tbrsssiSes, tools ana machines for making
Tho great increase in the output of silver
and silver plated ware in he United States in ton
without parallel IN the world. Since 1850 the
tot al annual OUTPUT in that lire Of nn.n!acttir-
ing has been octup!ed. An army Of highly paid
and Intelligent artisans of both sexes has been
added 10 our industrial enterprises, and the ex-
pnrtatlon ot the produCis is going on to every
women making ri lver and plated wares In the
! nited states today than Were employed in all
the gCld anu silver mines OF .inerICa, Australia
NJ Anu .strIra twenty wears ago, Every mining
txtert who Is connected with good silver |
ysr ntne ana every rr9 Of silver and
ehdency or silver Will be downward for years |
20 come. 1t must be so, for the reason that mine |
1wners. railways. makers OF machinery. aud |
workers OF silver are willing TO work on very |
lose ;i,, marKins for the sake Of increasing
'ially, to the value OF their plants. II
III the nations OF the earth should get
rice Of silver thai colS No, 70 c sn"n ns
or any length of time because not more than
iIree yer cent. of the silver veins of the earth
'rst decade of the next century shall have
nMcd, i Is almost certain tl.at silver will DO
er We are making steel. iron. and copper
roducts cheaper than my other nation on
arth, aud within i've years will be selling
6;td silver crlinnry, utensils. at about the pres.
nj price OF stamped and rctinred ronware. IL
nr ee;coinav. friends want to do something
orite metal. they would better start in and
uy out and shut UP the rock drill. hoist.
enr up the railways aud drive the inventors eHp
M minihr eng neers out OF tho country: they
RI Tcs the 9, f svsy VINO ,S mGve don
crimo Of 1879" and OF every other year
y using their brains. muscle and money for
he promotion or the general good of mil
ons OF men AID women who have found
tCady work at good wages in hundreds OF in
ustres which depend upon silver sold at a
air profit to the mines. ard yet at a low
CURE which enables makers to produce
1lnble goods suitable for all sorts and con.
itions OF men. While theorists, orators
Myers, editors. Philosophers. and persons
with the subjects of mining and
ianpfGctnrlng have been writing ,alkins, and
reung about the fall in prices OF all kinds Of
roducts, the inventors. engIneers and ma |
nini-ts silently, without sound of trunpcts or
ounding Of drums. have kept upward aid on
ard In their WORK administering TO the vel
're or all men by max ing 1t possible for the
horer OF today to enjoy creature comforts |
nd lnxures beyond the reach of kings in the
ad old times when the inventions of Watt |
rkwright, Stephenson. Ell Whitney aud Rob. |
t Fulton were In the womb OF time Yours
,specIfully, G. WILFRED PEARCE.