The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-02
THAT BOOM Is pRopIGIoUs
Wichita State of Affairs has set in at Grip
pie Greek.

ening came four months ago. 1t is ad-
vancing rapidly along all lines and
theresis nothing suggesting disappoint-
ment in any way. New mines are open
ed, the shafts OF the old ones continue
to reveal greater treasures with each
foot of depth, the district is spreading
beyond the limits placed by the most
sanguine and the towns are growing al
rate that exceeds the ideal of the most
visionary Of western real estate boom
ers.
The amount of development work IN
der way is something enormous and IL
is easily safe TO say that it is doubde
what has ever been done in any other
month in the history of the camp. All
through January the weather has been
all that could be asked for, and more
| than could be expected at this season of
the year; days of sunshine, with not
enough snow to keep the dust down on
the streets. This has allowed prospect
| ing at the surface TO go on without in
| terruption and permitted mine buyers
| 10 circulate over the district without in
| reference from the weather, and II mas
J been made the most of. In the towns
the builders have turned the fine days
to good account in making room for the
ever increasing population.
II is probably true that the ore pro
| duction for January has no: reached
the enormous sum of the preceding
month, but there are reasons for this.
January is usually devoted TO develop
ment in nearly all mines, while in De
I cember it is customary TO crowd pro-
| duction in order to close up the year
with a good record. Not many of the
new finds have begun to increase the
I Il -
can they for several weeks yet. There
! is a gap of several months between a
! strike and regular shipments. To open
/ a mine is work of time. The strike is
made on top of the ore chute; the shaft
must be sunk into the ore and progress
! is restricted 70 from one to two feet
| day under the most favorable cOndi-
tions. Levels will not be run into the
ore until from 90 to 100 feet of shaft
has been sunk, and the running Of lev
! els is almost as slow work as the sink
| ing. Development of this nature is be-
ing done in dozens of new found mines
in the district and one by one they are
coming into the rnaks of steady ship
pers. The small amounts Of ore eX-
tracted in development in such pros
poets do not show up considerable in
! the general reckoning. They will be
heard from later in the year.
Finds in outlying sections of the camp
have been coming so fast of late an ex-
tension of the belt has been forced and
the miner now has double the area to
choose from that was presented him
month ago. Not many months back, to
entitle him to credit for conservative
ness, he would have been forced to
choose his property on one of the gold
~ hot ID 1,a re
fame.
Now, with the indisputable discov-
cries in the Lincoln section, the open
ing of shippers on Mineral hill, good
finds on Tenderfoot, late shippers from
Womack, encouraging finds on Cow,
Big Bull, Staub and Grouse, with Nip
pie mountain, Mount Pisgah, Galena,
over by Gillett and Grassy, High Park
and Bare Hills, mines to the west, all
coming into prominence with conserva-
tive and reliable mining men to stand
sponsor for the wealth of each, the
proSpector with his stake on a vein and
pocket full of assey certificates can
challenge the mining world for proof
that he is not within the belt.
There is no decrying the claims OF
these sections. They may not all equal
Battle mountain, or Bull or Gold hill in
the number of great mines, but the
miners have enough to convince them
some mines Will come out of each of
these localities. These finds have had a
tendency to scatter the fire Of the pros
pector and it has been shown how the |
greatest good to the district has come |
from the concentration of the prospec-
tors on one hill and the direction of |
work about the last great discovery. |
Now that the tendency is to spread over |
the entire district, while more mines will |
undoubtedly result, the advance will |
not appear so great as ii would were |
the discoveries all Verged into one local |
ity.
This widening of the prospecting area |
has had another result. 1t has trebled /
the amount of properties the new COM |
er may buy with some equitable chance |
of finding a mine within. The semi |
owners of claims on Bull, |
Battle, Gold, Raven and neighboring !
hills formerly enjoyed in the market has |
been distributed by the enlargement |
and there has been a corresponding re- |
duction in prices. In truth, the men |
who are coming in TO buy undeveloped |
claims on one of the more favored hills |
and equal acreage in one of the newer |
localities, and with the difference in |
corners are giving preference to the out |
lying propositions. The more conserva-
tive still want to get close to where the |
actual production of ore is in progress /
and where the test of the ground has |
extended over four years OF time in !
stead of an equal number of weeks or 1
months and are paying the prices ask |
ed, but the purchasers of the cheaper |
properties are in great majority.
That the boom outside Of the actual |
mining being done by Colorado men is |
largely confined to stocks is true, but so /
lOnS as the stocked companies are do |
ing the work necessary 10 develop the |
territority owned by them, there can be /
no objection. In most inctances the for /
nation Of a new company 70 mine in /
the district is but the formation Of a |
partnership by a syndicate OF many |
small capitalists 10 do what each would |
do if he had sufficient cash.
Such a combination VIII effect what /
one or two individuals would otherwise 4
undertake. With many the incorpora- /
ton Is but a convenient form 10 divide |
interests and concentrate management. |
OF course this popular rage for stock !
carries some danger with Il. but il also !
opens the way for much benefit % re-
suit 70 the district.
IN business lines the camp is all tina.
could he desired. Apparently there is
work for everybody who wants Il. mer-
chants are doing a rushing business. ap-
pear 10 be making money and cha
wholesale houses say they are among
their beSt customers and most prompt /
payers. boarding and lodging houses
are crowded and az rates that are ad-
va0ced periodically. There : a short
aca of Office buildings and business
rooms Fullv 800 HOUSES are in no