The Monte Vista journal., 1897-09-25
MINING DEPARTMENT
FABULOUS RICHES IN A VOLCANO.
Belief of Colorado Prospector Has Been
Backed by Milions-The Old Romance of
the Geyser at Silver Cliff Is Told
in New Form.

additions by Denver correspondent
Of the Chicago Chronicle, as follows:
Probably the strangest mining enter
prise In all history Is now under de
velopment In Colorado. For boldness
1t u without II parallel, and for the
implicit confidence n number of capi.
talists place In the Judgment of sin.
gle man 1t towers above anything else
on record. The company IL the Gcy-
ser Mining and Milling Company. with
tts principal offices In Is0ston. and the
scene Of Its operations is near Silver
Clir. Colorado.
James W. Cartwright AMI j. IL. Nor
ton OF Boston. are heads of syndi-
cate that claims to have invested S.
UO,OOO In nine years, without the re-
turn OF II penny. and they expect to
spend ns much more and perhaps
twice that amoun; before they will
quit work. They have been advised
by mining men of experience that they
are taking tremendous chances. that
everything is against them. that mil
lions will be necessary to carry out
the gigantic plans of the company. and
that there are nincty.nine chances in
1O0 that they will lose In the end. bur
their superintendent. on whose knowl-
edge the company Is paying out so
much money, Is confident. and white
he ~ confident the money flows in II
stream from Boston to silver Cllff. and
the citizens OF the little Colorado COM
inunity rejoice as draft after draft Is
paid.
In order to appreciate the magnitude
OF the proposition II IL necessary to go
back to 1850. In that year. two hun
tiers. while resting. picked up some
beautiful specimens OF silvcr-almost
purc-about thirty miles south Of Can
on. City. Colorado. They staked the
ground. and from the grass roots took
out fortune every foot. II was Won
derful. 1t was a perfect cliG of silver
and tie mine was named Silver Cliff.
Two hundred thousand dollars
worth OF the white metal was taken
out Of the ground. a railroad was built
from Canon City To accommodate the
business Of the mine. n town grew up.
and telegraph wires were strung
Then. in the Twinkling of an eye. al
most, the ore gave out. The one mine
seemed to bc u pocket. almost round.
surrounded by volcanic mud. BY this
time there were thousands of men in
the neighborhood. prospect holes had
been driven every where. and at n dis
tancc some mines were found. but the
ore was not SO rich. nor was II of the
same kind. Miles of trenches and
bitches werc dug. The hills were ex-
plOrcd with drifts and tunnels. In tho
vain search for the lost lead" More
money than was taken out OF the mine
was expended In the effort to locate
the source from which tAc silver came.
hut II could not In found.
In 1887 Caleb II. johnson. y mining
man Of California rcpu,c. who had
paHsed upon number Of properties
for Boston capitalists. paid visit to
Silver Clin. He heard the story of
the lost lead and made nm examination.
covering several weeks Of the mine
workings. lie dbl not use pick or
shovel: did not use dynamite or giant
powder. nor 20 to the expense Of n sin
gle penny. hut he did form most re-
Marknblc theory In reference TO the
origin Of the silver mine. He conclud.
@i from the geological conditions that
the Silver GIN pocket came from a
distance: that 1t was hurled from the
earth through the rcslhOt throat Of a
volcano In active operation ages ago:
that II passed Into the air. described n
long arc to the sOuth. settled In the
warm. Onxy. volcanic mud. and was
covered and so remained for centuries.
until discovered by tho hunters. With
tnpe line nnd transit he measured the
pocket. caught Its inclination. and. ms
best he could. calculated the arc the
ore body had taken 10 reach the spot
In which II was found.
Then he spent considerable time In
the field AMI finally placed his foot up.
ON the mountain. seven miles away,
from which. h. figured. the mnss OF
silver had been hurled by the volcano.
Hut there was no crater to I've seen,
lie examined every inch of the ground.
which was badly broken. In chaotic
granite. mighty congioincrntion Of
almost every known rock. Then he
arrived at the conclusion that the crnt.
tr had buried Itself. having In the
courxc Of time thrown out mountains
Of lava. cl,okcd itself aud then sub.
sisled.
Completing his figures. he went to
Boston aud lnh before HIS friends the
proposition. The story was fascInat.
Ing. the reward was rich. johnson
was earnest. determined. honest. md
the longer he talked the more favor.
ably Impressed il,cy became. In speak.
Ing 10 Mr.. Cartwright he said:
I'VE may have to 20 a mile into tho
the volcano. and when We do We will
nnd that Its walls arr coated with Ill.
yer. We tan make Il all hack after W.
strike the ore. hut II is chance; II
may take millions: W. may fall nnl
We may win. The chances rrc that
we she'll w'n.'
10 the company. u close corporation.
was organized. nnd Johnson was sent
back ~ Colorado with S.nO.0fn 10 his
,.rysiit Ia hank to prospect for the
volcano. Going IN the mountain
where he supposed the volcano hnd
been buried. hc cut a tunnel fifty
feet wide aMi eigh, feet high. The
rock was hndly broken nnd spiintcresl.
crushed and cr,imbltsl. hut there were
seams and ltc measured the dip Of
every onc ~ them. When 30 feet
into the hill hc picked up smnii mo-
dule 0f silvcr. weighing perhaps nn
ounce. lie compared II with sjNri.
mems from the original Silver ciin
mine. Onr would have sworn that Il
had ls,rn taken from that property.
T1h~ people 0f silver cliR marvelcd un.
III their hrAda acheti At johnson'n
action and watched him susplcSously.
Wb~n b. found tls~ nosluie Of silver
l,r suspended all ol,~E1tioua. dlamiasesi
hls fotcr and went 10 R0atou. 1Aying
hs silver rodulc On \ table trforw
Ncssvs. Cartwright 4 Norton. he said |:
'srhia proves TINT ! mm right. Now
~ rAn ~ ahead and hunt for the
nslne."
Ths t,ooks of the company werc pro.