The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-31
MINING EXPERTS WANTED.
CHANCES or SUCCESS AMONG MEN
WHO YORK UNDER GROUND.

n Tendcrroot-tt u y LONE ffNrd, ana fN.
pcnsiye Course. and Only Those Well
Adapted By taste ana Capacity Should Try Il
In behalf Of the younger readers of THE srv, |
who have had their thoughts turned by the
great dis, oycrIes OF gold IN South Africa and
Alaska 10 mjncs and mining as q means Of oh |
| tanning wealth, a reporter has had interviews
| with n number OF mon Of wide experience, with
a view OF learning what chances OF success an
ambitious youth NAV find In such enterprises,
and especially what kind of training Is needed
to At a tcnderfoot for the work.
As to the chances Of success, 1t may DO said
first Of all, as was said in THE Sun Ave years
ago, II q man has for his chief object In life the
attaining Of great wealth, and II he Is so intent
on this object that he is willing to pay the price
In the way of personal labor and the enduring
of hardships OF various sorts, there Is no kind of
business that is moro promising; and by great
wealth a sum reckoned Ivy the hundred Thousand
say half a million or more-is meant. In pro-
portion TO tho number OF men who have gone
into It to gain great wealth, mining has pro-
duced more millionaires than any other bust
ness known to the United States. AT least that
is what the reporter learned In his interviews.
Further than this, tho chances OF obtaining
moderate wealth are also great when one com-
pares them with tho chances offered by the
common mercantile. manufacturing, and me-
chanical lines Of industry. Probably thore 10
nothing moro astonishing to a traveller who
visits q mine camp for tho first time than the
proportion OF men among its citizens who arc
worth. or have been worth at one time. any
where from $40. 900 to 800. ooo.
Interesting as are these statements to young
men OF Drawn and enterprise. the inquiry as 10
how those men made their piles Is likely to DO
more so, while the description Of the route to DO
followed by the tenderfoot who would do as
1 th,y ko w dana Ia nf f,pph mira infarnet mud
Importance than all.
As a matter of fact, q very large number Of
tho men who have struck 1t rich in mining for
metals we're prospectors whose capital amount
ed to perhaps q hun rod dollars worth Of burro.
bacon. beans, and tools. And they were men,
too. whose real knowledge OF ores and mines
was so limited that they tramped over without
recognizing much more good ore than they ever
saw. They had learned the distinguishing char
actcristics OF q few kinds of mineral-bearirg
ores. and they could swing a pick and lift q
shovel and pound a drill. They were about as
well fitted for mining with profit as an ordinary
villager OF the East Is for conducting a big farm
scientifically. That they succeeded in getting q
fair competence is commonly attributed to luck.
The men who know say that this luck indicates
how many chances there are for the success Of
the scientific miner.
One Of the best examples OF tho unlearncd
miner known to tho Rocky Mountains WINS n. G.
Creole. who gave his name to one Of the most
noted camps in Colorado. and tho brief story of
his career as told in THE Sun fvo years ago
shows the ordinary method OF fitting a tender.
foot for success as q miner. Creole was born on
a farm. went West to become a plainsman, be.
cano Interested in mining from observation,
, and without any other experience than that OBJ
tanned by looking at ores on the dunn. began
his search; He eventually stumbled on a minis
which he sold for little or nothing" to use his
own words. although it made a million for the
, men who bought it; But when he had stumbled
8 then he did the very best thing a man in his con,
B dition could do. Being determined to follow
!. in travelling about the mining regions OF the en-
\ tire West in order to learn all the surface indi
= cations Of both groupings and ores. Creede 10
, came in this way an expert prospector. and jus
! tihed his labors and expenditures In perfecting
: his knowledge of cropping s by finding the famous
Tntoftsnaisly. according to tho experts. the
D stead Of advantageous to the interests of mining
. as a business. and II was the opinion Of one OK
, pert with whom the reporter talked that thl
s prove a serious damage 10 ali legitimate mininS
. interests. and of this something will be said
5 When one. expert was asked what a young
. man should do to become a capable mining man
' What kind of mining do you have in mind
y For you must consider that there are as many
fiugcrs. and each branch is a different PROPOSE
tion from the others. For instance, 1t is a fact
n SYs ofk city + to. iS b. business m u ' centre 90 Of '1 the ' most f Inv
portani mining district In the United STATES
Q y yo1k Ser sh 1e msSns END 'T Psn@ "Fs roaha an N tNs
@ states and Connecticut. At first breath II s!ons
&C ton TO a tondrrfoot, bu: to take out granite fol
paving or for building is neverthele 8 mininG
Soy and Pen1sylvenin New York an .ht
= So ,es adjoining i produce more than one hnl
- NJ the whole IntDtf1i IrD!OCt NJ tue | nltNC
h stntes. The most ienithc, md that is 10 say tn
seen right hero IN what you NAV "all The New
Serh distfie,. hnd II an! one wants to iearI
how . a r 10 als ES 5000 p gFe . |" bss 9n' OF the EARTH N'F'
y "NUw, 10 Understand what Y meant by sayin.
i" thai each kird OF mining was different from TN
others, you have only 70 compare IL Quarry on tn
shores Q! the Hudson, whore they are making
q payinr bloc ~, with a coal mine In P'enn:ylrania
,f and The two with u true fssure vein OF gold o
speaking drive . drill into The f9ce OF tho clid
Of tons Of rock. TEis he breaks up into SO larc
OF suitable size. wheels them on the barges, AM
- sit'on. but one man can do 1t at perhaps half IN
expense that 1t would cost another, the differ
T"nge and work a plant so as to handle til
material expeditIous.y and with the lons
II. have some knowledge OF geology and must he
IN practical mcchsnic ! e~neineer.
~ "Go!.g neT; to tie c.aI mine; yoT vii I'm,
ID vein o: coal TO he taken from between two wall
of rock. The oai must hO cut out. and that ID
VI different kind OF work from blasting rock fror
the face OF the cliff. Then tho walls OF roc
,e must be supported. big timberS must be- put IL
~ and n knowledge of the strength Of material
~ md of the pressure TO bc withstood /. needed
is The arrangements for bringing the coal 10 tn
sy surface. tho cara and cables and mules an
- HOSTS, require special knowledge, ami tho
IL come tho machines for handling tho coal an
ro loading IL into cara.
"On the whole. the mining ~ coal ia the props
= sition OF Il mechanical engineer. Ho Is chief
q concerned with machines. There Is tho matte
to OF lredamr and the use OF electricity for ligh
To ing or for operating machinery, and so on. blu
the compctent IN ichanical engineer makes
. very gOoo coal miner. He may knIw p~racticall
SO nothing nbOnt tho precious metals. Ho shout
ca be something Of a g%eol0gist. o! course, but h
=. may never have mane AN assay OF any Kind {
90 ore In his life. and yet succeed admirably as
at coal miner. And the same may ho said OF tn
man who works u bel OF iron ore.
he From Tho coal mine you go to The minos
ne copper, silver. and gold. and here you find Yer
cd broid distinctions. For instance. there are tn
at klondike placers.. 1t does not require a mimi
m en- ineer to shovel dirt into a pan and wash o,
the gold. but whom Il COMES 10 the hydrnnl