The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-18
FORTUNES IN MINING
MANY MEN WHO HAVE STRUCK 1T
RICH WE'RE "GRUB STAkED"
AT FIRST.
FASCINATION IN THE LIFE.
HOW THE YELLOW METAL IS
SOUGHT IN THE MINERAL
STATES.
WEALTH IN THE WESTERN PARTS.
Montana Still Rich in UndeVeIOped
gtOn and the Hich
Kootenai Country.

Prospectors and miners are pioneers
of civilization and progress in min
ing country. No class of men will en-
dure more. venture more, and work
harder than the prospector. AS rule,
however, the prospector is not miner.
He is a discoverer, and after making
a strike will watch it until he can
sell it, bond it or barter it away for
whatever he can get, when necessity
compels him to go, or maybe he will
abandon it altogether, and start again
on the search for something new and
better.
If the proSpector has no means he Will
grub stake" for the man who has
money. A person who is maintained
during a trip or season by another on
an agreement to give his creditor a
share, usually half, Of all he finds is
being grub staked." Every mining
district contains prominent men, who
worked in this way. Not a few
rich men have been grub staked."
The head of the Thomas Cruise Saw
ings bank, Helena, Mont, was one of
them. The stories told Of Tommy
Cruise would fill columns Of this paper.
Ex-senator Taber, Of Denver, another
millionaire, toiled many a day over
the mountains under a grub stake"
contract which is usually verbal
agreement to divide half Of the mine.
A prospectors outfit generally consists
of pick, an ak, pair Of blankets, n
small tent, frying pan, a kettle, and u
supply of bacon beans, flour, molasses,
coffee, canned goods and a gun Of some
sort. The size of the outfit depends
upon distance, time and accessibility
of the country to be worked. The
goods are made up in q pack, and
weigh often as much as seventy five
pounds. With this upon his back he
begins his tour" Some times he may
be the fortunate possessor of a cayuse
or mule to carry his belongings. It
becomes a Fascinating life, and, no
matter what his discouragements or
mishaps may be, he sticks at it in the
hope and belief of striking it rich some
time.
The wild free life on the mountains
is full of inspiration to even the dull
est mind. The mighty landscape
charms the eye, and the wind singing
through the pine trees is sweetest mu-
enthusiast will endure hardships and
privations with greater patience than
the true prospectOr. Like the genuine
| fisherman, he is eternally buoyed up
| with hopes that no amount of dlsap-
| pointment could eXtinguish. ToilinS
! up and down the long sleeps, lured on
| by hopes of wealth, Whets the appe-
tite, and natures best drink is found
! in brooks trickling down from eternal
| SHOWS No drugs need to be taken to
bring sleep to the weary, and couple
| of blankets make a bed the prospector
| would not exchange for the sllken
couch Of a palace. Bright stars shine
above him. and he seems to be up
near them. The air he breathes has
no microbes nor malaria in 1t. He
feels the strong pulsation Of natures
! heart. and is filed with energy and
endurance. He tramps the painless
woods and climbs steep mountains with
zeal and pleasure.
Thousands of claims are taken up
every year by prospectOrs, and no at
| tempt whatever is made at develop
ment Some do all that their means
will allow and then a sale is made or an
interest given to others for means to
prove the value and permanency Of the
find. Every district is full of men who
look forward to a fortune as soon as
the railway comes or something else
come about.
The value Of a mine is not always in
the character of the ore, but more often
in surrounding conditions. Accessible
| ity is an important consideration. 1t
| is not an uncommon thing to find the
| low lying ore veins Of low grade, while
| the veins at high elevation among
mighty canyons, are richer 1t would
seem that nature designed that the
richer the prize the harder to get 1T. 1t
| does not follow that the lowgrade ore
is not valuable. If it exists in sufficient
quantities, it may pay better or as well
! as the richer vein which requires u
large expenditure Of money to develop
and handle. Men not familiar with
the surroundings are often induced to
make investments or buy mines from
| the results of assays, which in Them
selves may be all right but the stuff
cannot be mined and marketed with
profit without spending large sums IN
| development work.
PLACER MINING.
Where gold exists in the sands Of
| rivers and creeks as it does in many
/ parts of Montana, Idaho, Washington
! and Oregon the work Of getting it IS
/ not as expensive as it is to develop
leads or veins by tunnels and SHAFTS.
! The city of Helena, Mont, stands In
Last Chance gulch, from which mill
/ ions of dollars worth Of gold dust has
been taken, and 1t is still to be washed
| out Of the dust and gravel in the back
4 yards and creek bottoms.
There was a great rush to Montana
| by young and adventurous men IN
search of fortune as soon as Alder
| gulch, near Virginia City, was found
| In 1868. About $10,0G0000 a year IN
| gold nuggets and dust was taken from
the gulch during the three years fol-
| lowing it's discovery. Equal yields are
recorded for Last Chance gulch, and
| large returns were made from other
gold-bearing districts. There are now
| thirty-four quartz mills and eighty
eight reduction furnaces or smelters IN
the state of Montana. The copper
smelter at Great Falls Is one of the
| largest and finest in the world.
| 1t was gold which first attracted at
| tention to Montana, and among the
substantial men of the state, many of
whom are still living, were those who
sought the yellow sands along the
| streams of that region when it was
perfectly wild. Among these were: An
| gus Mcdonald, Granville Stuart, Thorn
as Adams, Reese Anderson, Henry
! Thomas, A. S. Blake, P. w Mellow. A
M. Hotter, S. T. Hauser and John Null
| Ian.
| OF the many marvels about the min
eral wealth of Montana, perhaps the
| greatest is the wonderful extent of the
deposits. After this comes the diver
lci%x Af1 falc osa1, Tr,x-