The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-08-29
IT. IS THE MAID OF ERIN
Such is the Name of One Of the
Richest silve,. rlines in
the West.
It Is Located at Leadville and
Owned by rloffat the Denver
Millionaire.
Curious and Interesting Fact
About Gold and Silver
Filming.

filming.
Leadville is one Of the greatest treas
ure vaults in the United States. Within
the past II years Uncle Sam has drawn
upon it to the extent Of more than
5000, ,000 900, but it has today more than
100 producing mines and its undevel-
oped riches are incalculable. 1t con
tains some OF the richest gold and some
of the most wonderful silver mines or
the world. The territory surrounding
it is being reprospected new mines are
being opened and some Of the old miJ1es
are SO wonderful in their production
that their owners do not want them
mentioned in the newspapers. Such
one is the Little Johnnie" which now
has an output of $4,000 worth of gold
a day, and which, l am told could be
made to produce, if the owners wished
it, $4,000 In gold daily for years 10
come I met the president Of this mine
the other day and asked If ! might
visit it, He offered to grant the per-
mission, but only on condition that
would say nothing about my trip ia
the newspapers. I replied that was in
Leadville to get the news and rot TO
suppress it, The result was that I did
not visit the mine. There is no doubt,
however, but that it is one Of the most
wonderful mines of the world. In one
of, the banks here there is about a peck
of specimens of the pure gold which las
been taken from it. The gold in the vein
is in the shape of the ordinary gold ore,
but in places there are flakes and scales
of pure metal, and every LOW and then a.
rich pocket Is struck in which it lies In
Jumps. The daily output OF the Little
Johnny" lis now about 200 tons, and the
average value of the ore is nearly $50.
There is now six shafts on the property,
the two deepest Of which are $50 feet.
ground, and it said that the whole area
of more than 100 acres is mineralized,
writes Frank G. Carpenter.
Leadville is one Of the greatest sis-
yer camps in the United States. Nall
lions upon millions have been taken out
of the earth back of the city and scat
tered broadcast over the world. Much
of the money which Levi u. Letter is now
spending in entertaining in Washington
and gallavanting over Europe came from
a silver mine here, which he bought for
$40 900, and which panned out more than
s1,000,000. A great part OF James G.
Blaine's political expenses were paid out
Of his silver mine in Leadvillle, and it is
only few minutes walk from the heart
of this city to the spot where Senator Ia
bor by grllb-staking a couple OF miners,
jumped at once from the position Of
poor grocer to that OF mining millic1-
aire. l think that Tabor made something
like $7.00000O Or So ,0O0. .00Q,0 cut Of his
mines here, and though he is practically
bankrupt today, there are others who
have done almost as we'll and KEPT. their
money. Millions upon millions OF dol
lars worth Of silver have been taken cut
of the hills back of the town, and there
are vast quantities of dump and waste
rock walled up almost on the edge Of the
houses. The city itself is underlaid with
precious minerals About a year ago
Maj. A. v. Bohn struck a silver mine on
the edge of the town. the ore Of which
averaged 100 ounces of silver, and now
and then jump to as high as from 500
to 1000 ounces It has been found that
this vein extends right under Leadville,
and it is question now AS to whether
Leadville can hold its silver, or whether
it is to 20 to others. If Leadvllle gets 1t
it will be the richest city in the world
and, single pockets Of Ore under the
streets will probably pay more than the
city debt and leave big surplus in the
treasury. Leadville claims that the
streets were dedicated to the municipal
ity, and that all that is under them be-
longs to the city. The original owners
Of the land are now trying to pretend
that they gave the ground only rs right
of way, and so the question hangs in the
courts.
Many Of the silver mines at Leadv:lle
~ no rod of n
profit notwithstanding the low price OF
silver. In the Moffat and Smith mines
there ara $50 uea on the pay roll al
miners, ard il takes about thrfe ,nen, 10
handle and care for the ore to each miner.
There are 5000 nen at work in the I4saG-
vile mining district, and iaborers get
from 81 to So per day. The Wolfton
mine has recently struck an immense
body of ore. neither end Of which has yet
been found, but in which 100000 tons Of
silver hearing rock have been blocked
out. This, it is estimated win pay at
least 50 ton above all expensee Of hand
ling and smelling, making the ore in this
mine alone worth at least 1854 200. M1.
Moffat told nle ID my interview that his
best mine had been the Maid OF Erin, . 81
for which he had paid about $3.50, ,00D, &
and out OF which he himself ard his pa.rt-
ners had made $0,OOD,O ,OUU. IhIS msne Is
new being worked, and there are other
great silver mines here which are ship
ping ore. .,-.. II
1 paid a visit the other day to this
S., 1000, ,0O0-maiuen, The Maid Of Grin
silver mine lies on the hi1ls just above
Leadville. It is surrounded by mountains
Of waste. rock, and it has immense frame
buildings, something like those Of a gr eat
factory. a look at it gives YOU something
of an idea Of the enormous cost Of silver
mining. The engines whiel, rcoye asitsIIs
machinery have ten great boilers, aud itssi
furnaces are 81, large that ten men ara
constantly sf1cveling coal into Them
keep the fires alive. They eat up from,
% to g, tons sof coal day, :lGd the coal
bill Tor the furnaces alone amounts #tDs
$50 daily Fiye hundred dollars 4 tlas 5s aS SS
is paid fol.s wages TO 1he niiners, aafil M Iles
ma cfI:nery is of the MOST cost u lesea:l
ttion. After dressing id1 miners elot thass
down inie the sha n el.piilss
on #tlle eYator was, oppsd iilll1islE
a9s5Satt lenl after tunnel
a ta llat 81 IA
se m ,lgSl