Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-07-11

gold near LeadviIle. and the greater part
or the gold which we get from Siberia is
produced in this way. Much OF the Rus
sian gold is made up of dust and nuggets,
washed out of the dirt and sand
South Dakota.
kota?" / asked.
Yes. indeed. there is" replied Director
Preston. AT least we get a lot from there
every year 1t comes from both the placer
mines and the quartz mines. Some of the
biggest stamp mills in the world are in
South Dakota. The Homestake Mining
Company has a eco stamp mill which pounds
away day and night. year in and year out.
The mine is one of the most valuable of the
grade. | understand that the Rothschilds
have tried to buy il time and again, but
that the company which OWNS it will not
SELL"
About Cripple Creek and LeadviIIe.
How about the Colorado mines?'
Colorado is now one of the richest min
ing states of the Union. 1t is nearing Cali
fornia in its yearly output, and its prod
uct is steadily increasing. The Cripple
Creek miners claim that they are turning
out $~l.OOo,0O worth of gold every month. l
believe they overestimate their output. and
] doubt whether they are producing more
than $780, 900 monthly. This. however. is an
enormous product from a new region. The
big mines there seem to hold their own,
and new ones are being discovered"
rs Stratton still the owner of the indie
pendence miue?'
Yes" replied the director of the mint.
He is, ] believe. working hard to keep his
income down to 800. 900 a month"
How about the Leadville mines?'
The mines there are holding their own.
The Little Johnny of Leadville is one of
the richest mines of the world. 1t keeps on
producing vast amounts of gold every year.
Just now a great deal of gold is being got
ten from the Breckenridge district. which
is about fifty miles from Leadville."
other Good Gold Regions.
EIJou- about tho TTfab yniraGDU
They are very rich. There is a great
deal of low grade ore in them. which is be-
ing gotten out by the cyanide process.
There has also been a decided increase in
the gold product of Nevada. You had best
keep your eyes on that state. 1t will come
TO the front in the near future. 1t pro-
duced last year nearly 100000 worth of
gold. and a number of new mines are now
being opened. Both Montana. and Arizona
are getting a great deal Of gold from Wash
lngton and Oregon, and. i'll fact, the gold
is coming in from everywhere"
"What Is the cause of this increase2'
One reason is the low price of silver.
Though / believe there il money in mining
silver at the present prices. If not why do
reasons for the increase in the product of
gold is the new processes OF reduction.
Gold can be gotten out of the rock cheaper
than ever before. The gold dumps are be-
ing worked over. old mines are being re-
opened, and there is an army of prospectors
moving about and discovering new ones.
- - iAAAD c'h 49, "HAh AAGlAA
over good gold fields again and again when
prospecting, and it is sometimes years be
fore a rich find is discovered. This was
the case with the Cripple Greek district.
men who went to Pixies Peak years
ago walked over the Cripple Creek fields.
and fortunes laid there undisturbed within
A few miles of Denver for A generation.
Notwithstanding they were surrounded by
the best gold mines of the world"
The Gold of Australasia.
How about the Australian minea?'
w tr get Z Esst amount n ldI,, Of gold every
or of the mint. Some cd the best man
aged mines of the world are i'm New Tea
land. The gold is reduced there TO some
gold mines in Tasmania. and gold is now
found in many different parts Of Australia.
Some Of the best mines are now in West
ern Australia. They are very difficult 10
reach, and what is known as the Coolgar-
die district is almost in the desert. Pros
pecting in this part OF the world requires
camels to carry the provisions and tools.
and the camel there takes the place which
the donkey has in the Rockies. The great
trouble Is the lack Of water. which in some
quarters is almost as costly as whisky
The African Gold Fields.
How about the African mines. Mr.. Pres
ton, what are they doing this year"
There Is a great increase going on I'm
the output of South America. We get re-
turns from there every month. and the
amount of gold product is steadily rising.
If the experts are to be believed. there
will be no falling off in the African sup
ply for years to come"
Speaking OF exports. Mr.. Preston. where
do the best mining engineers come from?'
The Americans lead the world to-day
as mining experts and mining engineers"
replied Mr.. Preston. You will find a
large number Of our mining engineers in
South Africa. il was an American VINO
first announced wnat IS now believed t. lie
the correct theory as to the South African
Curtis. He was the son Of George Ticknor
Curtis. the literateur. Mr.. Curtis held that
the gold reefs of the Transvaal were in the
shape of an immense basin. which had
been turned ~. as il were. by the forces
of nature. He said that he thought that
gold would be found to exist down to a
great depth. This has since been ascer-
tanned to be the fact. Some of our best
information concerning the gold fields OF
South Africa comes from Mr.. Hamilton
Smith, the mining expert of the Roths-