The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-30

You can put II in government bonds and
have more money than you can spend for
the rest of your life. What could you have
better than that
~ think the mine is better than that.
replied Mr.. Stratton; at least, these capt.
talists seem TO think So
Yes said I. but you have got to work
1t TO get the money out. 1t is not a sure
thing, and IL it were mining gold is. you
know. full of annoyances. Now. why don't
you travel? You have never been out OF
this country. Why dent you take a trip
around the world? You can go to Paris or
London and live like a lord on the interest
of the money that this sale will bring you.
~ don't know replied Stratton. Il
don't think I care much for travel. / like
tc stay at home
But stop a moment, Mr.. Stratton,' said
I, and think what you could do with all
that money. You could cultivate any hobby
you pleased. There is a little island for sale
off the coast of California which is said to
be a second paradise. You could purchase
this island and build a palace on it and live
like a king. Your life has been one of hard
work; why not take it easy now? This
money will make almost anything possible.
Haven't you some ambition that you want
to gratify?'
ITO tell you the TRUTH replied Mr..
Stratton, L have only one ambition. and
that is to own the richest mine in the world
and work it. / think l have it here. Your
people cannot appreciate how L feel about
1t. Even il | wished to sell the mine /
should ask at least $4,000, 600 for it. l
know it is worth that, but / also know
that your people would laugh at the idea.
L know, too, that if you made me an offer
&c arr1 nC thnr uvnn1A nnf call uaul6
deal with you just as quickly as with any
one, but L have determined not to sell the
Independence for any price
This" concluded Mr.. Colbrand, ENDED
my negotiations, and 1 failed to get my
$50, 1000"
PORTLAND AND VICTOR.
And still, asI have said, Stratton offered
to sell out a number of times during the
earlier days of the Independence, but at
this time there were none who had enough
faith TO buy. Now it is said that he is
making such Improvements that he will in
time be able to take a million dollars
worth Of gold out of the mine in a single
day, and hat one of his boasts is that he
will soon ship a carload of ore which will
be worth at least $l0O, 006. He had already
shipped ST., 900 worth of ore in one day, and
he is doing all he can to keep from allow
ing the mine TO pay more than $4,000 a
month. The Portland mine, Of which i
have already written, was once offered TO
New York parties for $500, 900. But the ex-
perts who were sent here reported that
there was only $1,000 worth of ore in sight,
and the New Workers refused the offer.
The next month the owners of the Port
land too outh $4,000, and since then it has
produced more than 5 ? 100000. 1t now pays
Srn nQ 4. .0oAtL -, - IL
that it will, Notwithstanding its enormous
expenses, pay SO per cent. this year. The
Victor mine. which has sold to French
parties for more than a million dollars,
brought, as 1 have told you. the original
finders only $4,000, and was refused by
Wall-street brokers at s27o, 600. This mine
pays 2 per cent. a month dividends Son a
capitalization of a million.
Similar stories might be told as to other
mines, and all shout me 1 see the funeral
professions of those who are mourning the
gold they did not get" During my ride to
Cripple Creek / travelled with a very intel
ligent doctor named Mcdonald, who is get
ting fat off of the ..'one-lung' brigade who
are marching through different parts of
Utah in search of health. He told me how
he was offered only two years ago a one
eighth interest in the Anchoria Leland
mine for $500. but had not the nerve to
buy. This is the mine out of which Irving
Howbart and others have made a fortune.
Its stock is very valuable, and there is
practically none of ii on the market. 1t
was leased a little over a year ago to T. j.
Maloney, but the lease has now expired.
Maloney struck pay dirt" as soon as he
began working. He found one body of ore
of 1890 pounds which yielded him SEC, 900,
and he has taken out, 1 am told, more than
$500. 900 worth of gold. Had DR.. Mcdonald
invested in the mine his $500 would have
made him independent of drug stores and
patients for the rest of his life.
THE STORY OF A DEER'S HORN.
Nearly every man who gets a mine at
Cripple Creek has to fight for it. Stratton
has had a number of lawsuits. The Port
land mine was for a long time in the
courts. and nearly every good claim is con-
tested. One of the queerest stories l hear
is that of the Deer Horn mine. which now
belongs to Stratton and others. 1t was
located by an old carpenter named Sterritt.
Sterritt had heard of STATIONS success,
and he knew that Stratton was a carpen-
ter. so he thought if the luck was running
| with the carpenter trade he would drop his
saw and plane and go TO mining. He was
| about sixty years of age, and he knew
nothing about ore or prospecting. He
simply wandered about the hills in an aim
less manner, breaking up a piece of stone
here and chipping off a bit of rock there.
At last one day OH Globe hill, back of Grip
pie Creek, he saw lying on the ground a
deer's horn. He was rather a supertitious
fellow. and he thought that this was an
omen hat he was to dig there for gold. He
at once named his claim The Deer Horn"
and set out the stakes which made IL his
own. He had no money, and he was COM
PEELED to do all the work himself. He dug
a ten-foot hole, and then making a rude
ladder. he went down with a bucket and
laboriously carried the rock to the top. Aft
er a time he rugged up a windlass and thus
hauled il out. After some weeks he sent
some of the rock to Pueblo 10 be assayed,
a friend advancing him the cash to pay for
the assay. The report was that the best
ore contained so cents worth of gold to the
ton. In reading II, however, old Sterritt
mistook the figures for IS instead Of so
| cents. That isn't at all bad" said he. and
he went on mining. At last. however, he
came to the end of his grub and he
walked off 10 his home. thirty miles away,
TO work at his trade as carpenter for a
week or so in order TO save enough money
10 go on with his mine. While he was
away the owners of one of the stamp mills
examined the mine. and when he came
back they offered him a dolla- a ton for all
- ~ -,,rf,o 4f h;- .rof-1 g.