The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-09

49, the disposition 10
rS-VNN conclude that this is
one of the greatest mineral-bearing re-
gions of the state becomes irresistible.
because it produces nothing else but
coyotes and rattlesnakes and these are
thinning out very fast. With the eX-
ception Of the pleasant little town of
Minersville and its immediate sur
roundings, the landscape from this ele-
waited position is many removes from
inviting. 1t is a wilderness of sage
brush and greasewood-a kind of stub
by growth upon the face of nature that
! has remained unshaven since the time
when the great inland sea withdrew its
briny depths and receding to its pres
enr proportions and locality gave vege-
tation a chance The whole situation is
so lacking in reliefs, is so evidently
and drearily monotonous that the ap-
pearance of the vehicle which bears
/ the United States mail along the rug
/ ged uneven road that corkscrews It's
way from Milford to Minersville makes
/ it (the vehicle, not the road mucn
/ more conspicuous object than 1t would
be almost anywhere else Travellers
pass away the time asking questions
and taking an occasional shot at coy
ote, the latter being a pastime Whlch
succeeding wears have diminished very
| little if any-nobody ever hits one
When the shot has, or shots nave, -Deen
fired, the vulpine native taxes nnai
/ look at the intruder. puts on look OF
! injured innocence. shrugs his shoulders
and all at once the place wnere ne was
is as desolate as before.
From all this it should not be inferred
that the lands themselves are worth
less; not by any means. Except IN
places where a rocky formation pre-
walls. the soil is no doubt equal 10
any in the state. The absence OF water
from the time the Beaver river is
departed from at Minersville until it
is again reached al Milford is respon-
sible for the state of things prevailing
The valley is very long and toleraDly
wide one sloping gradually downward
on either side from the mountains with
the stream aforesaid meanderlng slug
gishly along it's lower parts The fall
of water being so slight and the banks
where it first enters the valley so h1gh,
make any such thing as diversion into
the surrounding lands out of the ques-
ton. Perhaps the artesian system may
be successfully applied some time, and
if so yer, many thousands of acres of
highly capable land will be changed
from the present condition to one OF
benefit to mankind. So mote it be.
In the last letter, reference was made
to the sole remaining cabin left over
from the boom days of the town OF
Lincoln. This is occupied by w. l..
Croft, his son and man employed by
them. They have been at work on the
mines with as much Steadiness as
due regard for the farm and household
of Minersvile would permit. Mr.. Croft
is one of the pioneers in the mining
industry here, albeit his labors and
enterprise in that direction have not
been confined to this district by any
means. He is one of the owners of the
Creole, previously spoken of, and has
abundant faith in the ultimate sue
cess of that great property. At pres
ent he and the other two are a work
on a twin location known as the Lone
Brothers, these adjoining each other,
being on the same formation and
worked by contiguous inclines. The
ores are largely copper. but have
shown uD finely at times in silver and
some little gold. Several tons are now
on the dump, and when the sum total
equals large carload it will be shipped
to Salt Lake and sold. The reader may
think it strange that in this day of
rapid mining, so much deliberation
should be required in the matter of
getting out 20 tons or such a matter of
ore: but it should be taken into con-
sideration that since the general shut
down it has been a very difficult mat
ter to enlist capital in even small sums
in the district, as a result of which the
old windlass and bucket used at the
beginning are used now although the
inclineS are near 100 feet in deDth-
With these comparatively primitive APP
pliance the work of taking out ore near
the beginning is a slow performance;
but further down the trouble Increases
rapidly and each foot of progress made
in the direction of Pluto's dominions
means a few per cent Of hardship and
slowness added to those of the immedi
ateIy preceding foot. and after the 100
mark is passed the bucket and wind
lass might as well be placed on the re-
tired list unless the ore is phenomenaily
rich. None of that grade has appeared
in either of the Brothers up TO date.
but some that is above the average
is quite plentiful, and ii is from this
the shipment will be made, leaving the
lower grades in convenient piles await
ing the glad day when q smelter shall
make its advent. Some of the late as
says have shown the gratifying result
Of &c per cent copper, ounces silver
and a trace of gold, the lowest being
10 per cent copper. AS il is this metal
which is the chief desideraIum, it does
not matter greatly how much or how
little of other things there may be;
proposition in chief. The demand for
copper is, next to gold of course, about
the steadiest of anything in the metal
lie line and the price-from 10 70 II
cents a pound-huctuates less than any
of the others with the exception noted.
The first class quoted above would
yield fully 500 pounds of metal TO the
ton. which at the lowest figure of the
market would be worth $50 and at the
highest $50, not counting the silver or
gold which it might contain: but it is
manifestly impossible at this time to
hold a shipment up to that grade.
Perhaps as high as 90 per cent on AN
average can be maintained, which
would mean 400 pounds worth $40 to $50.
Deducting sampling. assaying, smelt-
ing charges, freight, ETC.. in all perhaps
SO ton. there would be quite a hand
some margin in a 20-ton lot Indeed,
with improved facilities for hoisting
and handling the lowest grade named
Is per cent-and even a little lower
could be shipped to advantage al
though the ratio of profit declines
somewhat with the grade; with a smell