The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-26
WHERE FAKIRS SHINE
Granite County Has Endured Their
Presence Patiently.
FALSE REPORTS SENT OUT
The Precious Metal Is r here, and
ItWill Stay There Unless These
experts" Are Clicked
Off at Once.

Special Correspondence of the Standard.
Philipsburg. Feb. 23.-Some really
valuable gold discoveries have been
made in Granite county within the last
year and there Is every probability of
a steady, prosperous growth in several
different districts. all of them tributary
TO Phtlipsburg. While this Is true 1t is
also true that the genuine fakir, know
ing absolutely nothing about mines or
mining affairs and caring less and hav-
ing no interests in the general welfare
OF the county or state has for some
time past been particularly busy in the
formation Of fake mining companies,
with high sounding titles and having
highly decorated stock certificates all
calculated 10 catch the unwary eastern
sucker. Some people argue that this is
good thing: bringing in money and
occasionally spending 1T with the law
dshness born of total ignorance In
either business or mining affairs, they
say. can do no harm to existing mines
and serves to bring in outside money
which. as the old saying goes, keeps
up the camp" This sort OF thing might
do once in a while. but in a county
fair share of rather questionable min
ing propositions. the colossal swindles
now under full sail and those being
Matched in the fertile brains of the
road agents now in the flood tide of
their glory. 1t cannot but result in in
estimable harm to the different mining
districts. the county and the state.
These schemes are becoming altogether
too many and the schemers altogether
too bold and already there is some talk
OF grand jury investigation. If there
is one called, or specific charges to be
made against some of the swindlers, IL
there is not.
1t Is now a pretty we'll established
fact that there Is but very little free
milling gold ore IN Granite county and
even were free milling processes In ope-
ration the percentage of saving can
hardly be satisfactory and yet II is
hard to get the owner of a prospect
or mine to acknowledge that his ore Is
not perfectly free. although they know
that there are a few 10 and 20-stamp
mills lying idle, not for the want of
ore but for the want of ore that the
value can be taken out of by them.
This fact. however, does not seem to
deter other people from making the
same mistake or at least from threat
ening to and it is common thing to
hear talk of profitably working gold
ores that are none too free and that
average 50 or less per ton. The fool
AShACoo ~ tiiiS 10 tPpctl Chb WdlCH IL ID
known that there are now, near here,
several well equipped silver properties
lying idle. the ores of which will ave-
rage something like $3.50 in gold per
ton which, added to the silver con-
tanned in them, Is not a sufficient in
centive for the owners to run and dis
pose of their silver at so odd cents per
ounce.
With a little more development there
will probably be room for quite a num-
Der of or 10-stamp mills with a cya-
hide attachment in several districts in
this county and that there will be gen.
eral prosperity in gold mining the COM
ing season cannot be denied. II will
be found. however, that where 100
stamp mills are talked about stamps
would be quite sufficient to crush all
of the ore worth crushing.
The mining outlook for the coming
season Is certainly Frightening and
with an era of good neigihborly feeling
among all OF the people In the county,
already becoming apparent, there is no
reason why Philipsburg should not get
the benefit of the coming good times.