The Dickinson press., 1896-10-10

Dammss rapid rise to the distilct3sn Of
the Oroesus of Durango IL the story Of
tho Promontorio mine. That T. . proper.
y Of which the, mining market nsveR
heard: It is known to Durango people
wagons come creaking in with 600 tons
Of ore monthly. The mine is 100 miles
north Of the city, and the ore must be
hauled that distance in carts and wagons.
The ore is quartz, and all that is thus
t~rannsported is of a grade which yields
100 ounces to the ton. The monthly ship;
ounces Of silver. In a year this amounts
Mexican 4 di;SSo, money S9 81, $780, o J. a is T in Ame IN
lean money $65O,OOO. But this shipment
Of ore at the rate of GOO tons is not all
OF Mr.. Damm's product. From his own
a bar of silver weighing 1000 ounces. 4
bar of silver worth $500 in Mexican
money and half of that in American mon.
ey is not very formidable in appearance.
1t is only 16 inches long by 4 inches in
breadth and thickness. Every day one
OF these bars is turned out at the mine,
bro brought d down to Durango and added to
Damm's warehouse. The mint officials of
the United States will have an opportuni-
ty to handle a collection of these bars if
free coinage becomes the law.
me present product of the Promontorio
ls ounces a year., worth 81, 749.-
that in American money if 16 to 1 pre-
walls. This is one mans mine. That is,
perhaps. the reason so little has been
heard Of it.
About ten years ago, when silver be-
gan to go down, the Promontorio began
TO uncover its richness. With his rep,
utation established as the richest man
in Durango. Mr.. Damn does not admit
tnat ne has done any mining. He has
simply been developing what there is in
the Promontorio, blocking out the masses
OF ore to be removed when he gets down
to the real business of mining. But
while doing development work Mr.. Damn
yields him 100000 ounces Of silver
yearly. A assure vein which gives him
this ore carrying $50 ounces of silver
to- the ton is from 10 inches to 5 feet
wide: While developing his property,
MI. Damn has taken out a third-class
of ore which has not been shipped to the
smelter or treated at the mine. He now
such ore which, he says, will average 60
ounces to the ton. That means 3,OOO,-
600 ounces more, to be worth $780,
600 when the United States declares
for unlimited silver.
Maximilian0 Damn can furnish all
Of the silver the minis of the United
States will be able to coin into
dollars during five weeks of opera
ton ut their present full capacity.
Open MINIS Cheaper silver.
why is it that in a silver country,
with unlimited coinage, bullion does not
go to the Mexican mints to be coined
into dollars. but is shipped out to be
sold IN another country where it has a
fiuctuating value and where SO much of
it as would make q dollar in your mints
is worth now only half a dollar?"
This was submitted. during the rest in
the saddl of Las Mitras, to the owner
OF the mines below, from which the Mex
leans were trotting forth in never-endins
file with their sacks of ore. The mine
owner chucked a pebble over the preci-
picc, n shook his head, as if the cues.
ton was too much for him.
well, why do you send your own
bullion to the United States to be sold
at bullion value under the gold standard
instead of having it minted into dollars
basis?" ~ e"'e
The mine owner got out his pencil and
figured. He took the exchange, the cost
of transportation, the 377 grains of fine
silver in the Mexican dollar. the All
grains in the American dollar, the ounce
value, and made elaborate calculations.
At length his face frightened,
"Silver," he said, yields TODAY 4 cents
an ounce more when sold in the states
as bullion, after paying freight charges
n brokerage commissions. than il
would if taken to the Mexican minis and
coined into dollars"