The indicator., 1897-09-25

additions by Denver correspondent
of the Chicago Chronicle, as follows:
Probably the stiangest mining enter
prise in all history is now under de
vclopment in Colorado. For boldness
it is without parallel, and for the
implicit confidence number of capi-
talists place in the judgment of Sill
gle man 1t towers above anything else
on record. The company is the Gey-
ser Mining and Milling Company, with
its principal offices in Boston, and the
scene OF its operations is near Silver
Cliff, Colorado.
James w. Cartwright and j. ii. Nor
ton of Boston, are heads OF Il syndi-
cate that claims to have invested S.
100000 In nine years. without the re-
turn of n penny. and they expect to
spend as much more and perhaps
twice that amount before they will
quit work. They have been advised
by mining men of experience that they
are taking tremendous chances. that
everything Is against them, that mil
lions will be necessary To carry out
the gigantic plans of the company and
that there are nncty-nine chances in
100 that they will lose in the end. but
their superintendent, on whose kuowl-
edge the company is paying out so
much money. is confident. and while
he Is confident the money flows in n
stream from Boston to Silver Clir, nIsl
the citizens of the little Colorado com
munity rejoice as draft after draft is
paid.
In order to appreciate the magnitude
of the proposition II is necessary to 90
back to 1850. In that year. two hun.
iers, while resting. picked mp some
beautiful specimens of silvcr-aImost
pure-abOut thirty miles south of Can
ON, City. Colorado. They staked the
ground. and from the grass roots took
out fortune every foot 1t was Won
derful. 1t was perfect cliff of silver,
and the mine was named Silver C,iT.
Two hundred thousand dollars
worth of the white metal was taken
out of the ground. II railroad was built
from Canon city TO accommodate the
business of the mine. town grow ,ip.
and telegraph wires We're strung.
Then, In the twinklng Of IN eye al
most, the ore gave out. The one mine
seemed TO be a pocket, almost round,
surrounded by volcanic mud. BY this
time there We're thousands of men in
the nelghborhooJ. prospect holes had
been driven everywhere, and at a dis
Dre was not so rich. nor was it of the
same kind Miles of trenches and
bitches We're dug. The hills We're ex-
plored with drifts and tunnels. in the
vain search for the lost lead" More
money than was taken ont of the mine
was expended in the effort to locate
the source from which rlc silver came.
but 1t could not be found.
In 1887 Caleb II. johnson, n mining
man of California repute, who had
passed upon n number of properties
for Boston capitalists, paid II visit to
Silver Cliff. He heard the story of
the lost lead and made an examination,
covering several weeks of the mine
workings. He did not use a pick or
shovel: did not use dynamite or giant
powder. nor 20 to the expense of sin
gle penny but lie did form n most re-
markablc theory in reference to the
origin of the silver mine. He conclud-
I'd from the geological conditions that
the Silver Cliff pocket came from a
distance; that 1t was hurled from the
earth through the redhot throat of Il
volcano in active operation ages ago:
that it passed into the air, described
long arc to the south, settled in the
warm ooZy, volcanic mud. and was
covered and so remained for centuries.
until discovered by the hunters, With
tape line and transit he measured the
pocket. caught its inclination. and, as
best he could calculated the are the
1re body had taken 10 reach tie spot
In which it was found.
Then he spent considerable time i'll
the field and finally placed his foot up
Oh the mountain, seven miles away.
from which, he figured. the mass of
silver had been hurled by the volcano.
But there was no crater to he seen.
He examined every inch Of the ground,
which was badly broken, In chaotic
granite. mighty cGnglomeratGn of
almost every known rock. Then he
arrived it the conclusion that the cral-
er had buried itself. having in the
course of time thrown out mountains
of lava, choke1 itself and then sub
sided.
Completing his figures, he went to
Boston and laid before his friends the
proposition. The story was fascinat-
ing. the reward was rich. johnson
was earnest. determined. honest. and
the longer he talked the more favor
ably impressed they became. In speak
ing to Mr.. Cartwright he said:
I'VE may have to 20 IL mile into the
ground before we reach the mouth of
The volcano. and when we do we VIII
find that its walls are coated Win sil-
yer. We can make II all back after we
strike the ore, hut 1t is chance; II
may take millions: we may fail ana
we may win. The chances are that
we shall win
So the company close corporation.
was organized. and Johnson was sent
back to Colorado with S2OOOOO to his
credit In bank to prospect for the
volcano. Going to the mountain
where he supposed the volcano had
been buried. he cut tunnel NIFTY
feet wide and eight feet high. The
rock was badly broken and splintered'
crushed and crumbled, but there We're
seams and he measured the dip OF
every one of them. When 200 feet
into the hill lie picked up II small no.
dule of silver, weighing perhaps an
ounce. He compared 1t with speci-
mems from the original Silver Gilt
mine. One would have sworn that 1t
had been taken from that property.
The people of Silver Cliff marveled un-
til their heads nched at Johnson's
action and watched him suspiciously.
When he found the nodule of silver
he suspended all operations. dismissed
his force and went to Boston. Laying
his silver nodule on Il table before
Messrs. Cartwright s. Norton. he said:
This proves that | am right. Now
we cnn go ahead and hunt for the
mine"
The books of the company were pro-
duced. johnson Ind spent more than
S150 ono In finding an ounce of silver,