Evening star., 1897-05-15
A WOMAN MINER.
She Thinks Her Sex Is Capable of
Success I'm That Calling.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.


Success in That Calling.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
During the last few days Mrs. A. X.
Rikert, known as the woman miner of
Tuolumne, has been visiting friends here
and at Redwood City. For fourteen years
steadily has she been prospecting and de-
veioping different properties. and in that
time she has discovered some of the most
famous mines of California, from one or
two of which nearly s2.000.ooo has been
taken. Among these mines is the rich AL
hambra of Calico. This was a great sill
yer WiEe. but Mrs. Rikert does not mine
for silver alone. Mrs. Rikert has also been
sngularly successful in mining for gold.
She was one Of the first who went 10 the
new Alamo disgings in Lower California,
where she developed valuable properties.
The woman miner who has had such a
remarkable experience has also discover
ed and developed the Pine Blanco gold
mine, Fear the Rawhide. IN Tuoiumne
county, which now shows enormous
ledge of quartz. and from which she co.l-
1idently believes millions of dollars Will
be taken.
Mrs. Rikort told the strange story of
how she happened to go into mining for
the first time. She is a southern lady, ami
has that dislike which many of the sourh
have to being prominently thrust before
the public She is tall, has dark. some
times flashing, eyes, and has the enuucia-
spent.
81 am the daughter of cotton planter
near Vicksbure. and was early taught how
to ride horse, shoot and do many of the
things which only a young iadys brothers
are supposed generally TO do said she
My father was a wealthy planter. and
owned slaves. As Annie Kline / will be
recalled for the part took in the war.
will my sister. for were both imprison-
ed. / think sometimes when I am worth
$2oa.0O0 or $S.GO0000 / may write a book
end tell all about this.
Fourteen years ago l came to the new
mining camp of Calico. determined TO make
fortune If IL was TO be done. To this
end / began to carefully study mining. 1t
| was very rich silver camp. and | soon
learned TO find mines by the outcroppings.
and to make tests of the lodges which /
had found.
II assure 1 am very much more par
ticular when l go out to prospect than
| many Men are who go to look for indi-
cations. Often where men walk right over.
examining particularly every part OF the
ground. chopping away brush and using
pick and shovel freely.
| Maa hH prospecting in this way
Ina . round the famous Alhambra mine
which proved to have such a large body of
rich ore. This mine was bought by the
| late w. w. Stow of this city. and became
| part Of the great Silver Odessa. of which
everybody has heard.
An ong the mines was the enormous
borax mine bought by William Alvord and
Jerome Lincoln. and managed by VIM. T.
Coleman. Its output since it came into
the hands Of Alvord and Lincoln has been
increased year by year. until now the
works erected on 1t are the largest of any
either in Europe or America.
AT the time of the rush to the gold fields
| the first to go there. 1 had become well
known In Calico. and many of the miners
believed from my successes that luck fol-
| lowed me; in short that / was a mascot.
mn tod n no La l.lnn Inns
| for them. I was two years at Alamo and
did pretty well, securing some good prop
erty.
However. hearing of the interest that
was being taken in the mines of the
mother lode, and wanting. like the typical
prospector. to be in on the rise. 1 came
| three years ago to Tuolumne county. We
| struck 1t just in time. and got in before
the rush. We drove all the way from
| Alamo to Tuolumne In a little wagon
drawn by two ponies.
"'Goipg eight miles west of Sonora. near
| Colombia. and only a short distance from
| the Rawhide mine. / came across the Pine
Blanco. then idle. and We bought IL cheap.
1t was before the boom, and we had all
the advantages which such opportunities
presented.
1.-The claim had a little old tunnel run on
1t and some surface diggtngs. The mine was
all grown over with a kind of greasewood.
Through this groupings were found on in
vestigation to extend over a space 1G0 by
40 feet In extent. i began a new tunnel
east of the apex of the hill
"At sixty-three feet We tapped the ledge
Then We ran west and cross-cut for sixty
six feet, and have not got through yet. II
1t solid quartz ledge. The ore has been
carefully tested several times. by spread
Ing a piece OF canvas and carefully pick
ing cut ore all over the face Of the work
ings. 1t has been found so satisfactory
that millions are estimated to be in the
mine.
Il know no reason why q woman may
not learn mining, and make as great a
success OF IL as any man. The information
IL open to all. think a woman may be as
good prospector. and even better. than
man. for she is more discriminating and
particular. In all my experiences in the
so-called rough mining camps / have al
ways been treated with great courtesy by
the miners"