The indicator., 1897-09-25
MINING DEPARTMENT.
FABULOUS RICHES IN A VOLCANO.
Belief of a Colorado Prospector Has Been
Backed by Millions-1he Old Romance of
: the Geyser at Silver Cliff Is Told
in a New Form.

ueren AR drills, put up an engine
p,l' ' Vchtilatine apparatus, pump,
.''pic, Iiihe machinery, rails. ties. ore
M, .is ana TWO magnificent steel cages
men ne marked out a doublc-com.
p"ithieht working shaft, and, turning
10 ms three forcmen. said:
Il want the shaft driven STRAIGHT
INTO the ground. Twenty-Five men
VIII work eight-hour shifts, Pro
coed" ~"
, HOW long shall we work?" one of
them asked
Until we strike ORE
find any anu ''o'
Very well, to China we shall 20.
then" 80
steam was raised and the Gcyser
shaft was started.
rms WAS in the fall of 1888. The
erect was electrical. Men came from
an over Colorado to see the propnrty
me dri lis We're grinding away through
'he rock, with absolutely not Il trace
oi ore in sight. The first 100 feet in
uepth was gained. an! permanent
Iiinptrihg was placed in the shaft.
Wheh 200 feet had been passed
tir"ush johnson was approached one
! '' ""ihIiill VINO wanted to
Know If he would be justified in
building a house for his family TO live
IN lie did not care to build and then
nave the mine close down and lose
his Investment. johnson replied:
bulid your house, my man And
ns long rs we are 1000 feet of this
SIDE OF the bottom Of the mountains
you need have no fear. if You attend
to your business.
so 1t was that the little settlement
grew up about the mine. Stores an
pehrcd. the community prospered,
stages made daily trips and each
month the workmcn We're paid with
a regularity that was astonishing,
Mail was delivered daily, the force of
men WAS gradually increased and the
! rock coming from the mine was so
| distributed ms to form the approach
| ing grade for railroad. .Tohnson's
nerve simply took the breath away
from the slow-going inhabitants of
the Cliif. Down, down the big shaft
went. two steel cages passing each
/ other night and day. month after
month, one year, two years, three.
four. five years. And then on the
closing of the Indian mints to the
coinnGe of silver in 1893. johnson was
summoned to Boston. Would 1t nav
now! Yes. it would: for If his theory
was correct. they would quarry out
the silver when they struck it. The
/ Silver Clilfcrs We're nervous But
johnson returned smiling and assured
the men that they We're going right
INTO the mountain and must hurry
johnson thinks he is right over the
mouth of the volcano. At 100 feet he
ran two levels. exploring for ore. He
| was disappointed. Every 100 feet
he ran two levels. In the five years
the mine has worked to date. over
five miles of underground levels and
DRIFTS have been gOuged out.
All known geological conditions were
passed through. Great slabs of gran
lite 800 feet long We're cut lengthwise
In other places the ground was 5, soft
that great twcnty-four inch timbers
were placed in the shaft to keep The
ground from Creeping" in. The de
vciopmcnt work was perfect For the
first 800 feet the cages fail. the sleeves
do not strike the guides.
Three years ago an ore body was
opened. 1t was n great feeder of silver
bearing mineral. The Silver Clifrers
We're paralyzed with astonishmcnt
Men were set to WORK to follow the
feeder. but the big shaft kept sink.
ing steadily. More than 900 feet the
workmen followed the dip of the vein.
around curious corners and through
strange formations, downward. down.
ward. Sometimes the ore was poor.
sometimes rich Inquiry ut the mine
WAS useless. The man who talked was
discharged. II was private enter
prise The business of the mine con-
cerned nobody except those immedi-
| IL a in itnp t..,I IN, 4
| Two hundred thounsand dollars worth
of ore was taken out ana sold in the
public market and the money put lack
in the mine. A year ago there was
tremendous excitement when one of
the miners thought he Had penetrated
the hanging wall. Later what looked
like the foot wall WAS cncounteTel.
Johnson was happy and everybody WAS
excited. but they were not in the liy-
ing rock yet. A few feet farthcr and
the shaft sank into more conglGmerate
and now such discoveries scarcely at
tract notice.
The mine to-day has reached "A depth
of 1900 feet, and men are still follow
ing the feeder.
The company has expended S2.1uO.-
COO, including the amount spent in pros
pccting work. and S20O0O0 taken ont
of the mine has been put back into it
in the form of development work.
which nakcs a total cost to date oc
So 100000.
Johnson expects the feeder to lead
him to Tie mouth of the old crater.
When he rcashes il and determines its
depth he will sink his shaft and stopc
out the ground. and as lie has great
working shaft he will lose no time
whatever In getting the ore to the sur
face. He expects to lift it. not by the
pound. but by the ton-literally by the
ton.
Recently mining men from all over
the country have examined the Gey-
ser, and have agreed that ii is proper
ly named. If Johnson's theory holds
good the company might win. If It
docs. all agreed the greatest mine the
world ever saw will he opened-grcat-
er. probably. than all the mines in
America to-day put together If it
fails. the company loses. with no pos
sible way of getting back n cent Many
people are inclined to the theory OF
johnson more than ever before. There
is money in the bank to back his opin-
ion more coming when he wants IT.
and IT, when the shaft reaches 5000
feet. no ore is found. another will he
sunk. and the mine will keep sinking
II the ore found pays expenses. If the
BOSTON people win they will he regard
ed as the shrewdcst mining men In
history and il they lose 1t is nobodv's
business hut their own-no one else
will lose n cent. And that's MI II is
possible TO get their representatives
hcrenbouts to say about 1t.
Gold In Poudre Canon.
For. Collins, Colo. Sept. 20.-Ed.