The herald., 1898-07-17

tenance for the body, so quickly and so
bountifuly, and the temperature Is so
continuously mild and equable and repose-
inducing, as to quite wholly remove from
the proposition the factor so potent to sue
cessful search for the precious metals
"Silver is in veins and gold where you
find it," but the two metals are usually
found at higher ELEVATIONS than obtain
tn the mountainous regions Of Southern
California, not often where vegetation Is
so rank, more frequently where even trees
refuse to grow, in the sterile uplifts Of
the loftier ranges. The exceptions are so
rare that the professional prospector and
miner is apt to look with disdain, or at
least with unconcealed skepticism, upon a
land that Is sternally bathed in sunshine,
that is never visited by blizzard, and
that has never experienced the majestic
thrill Of snow-slde.
For all Of these and other reasons quite
as potent, the mining industry has pro-
gressed slowly or progressed not at all.
The scarcity of water, too, has retarded
the development Of the auriferous depos-
its of the mountain streams, and the I'M
is so new. and novel a proposition that few
experienced miners, and still smaller
number of capitalist promoters, have
been attracted to the gold fields of the
Rand district. To all of the other draw
backs of that section has been added the
difficulty of obtaining sufficient water to
treat the ore on the ground, the want of
adequate and economical facilities for
getting it to distant markets, and, worst
of all, the too prevalent superstition that
the veins were not continuous, that the
mineral had not been found "in place."
and that, in short, 1t was "stringer" and
specimen" country, giving but slight
promise of permanency to the mining and
milling industry.
But number Of things have happened
within the past ten months to change the
whole situation, and to warrant capital
in further exploiting the promising field
By the extension of a railway into the
heart of the district the transportation
problem has been solved. BY the sue
cessful introduction of an abundant sup
ply of water into the camp, an impetus
has been given to milling. And by the
uncovering of good values at depth of
nearly five hundred feet the fallacy of
non-continuity has been wholly dissi-
pated.
Our resident correspondent at Rands-
burg, in letter published in our last
issue, noted the discovery in the 4SO-foot
level of the Little Butte mine, the deep
est in the camp, of "a large body of ore"
carrying SIS in free miling-dirt and 800
in suphuretic mineral to the ton.
No one at all acquainted with mining
need be told of the significance of such
find. A few more discoveries like that
would produce mining excitement never
before experienced in Southern Califor-
MIA. The free-milling ore can be treated
on the spot at good profit, and now that
factory sulphides can be concentrated
and shipped to the smelters elsewhere.
Indeed, $50 ore would stand shipment
without concentration, such values being
exceptional, but the profit of concentrat-
ing four or five tons into one Is suffi-
GENTLY seductive proposition to induce
the construction of mills for that purpose.
The taking Of 100000 from the various
levels of the Wedge mine, and Of $4,000
from the Butte. after their reserves had
been pronounced exhausted, goes to show
that Randsburg, like many another prom
Using mining district, has suffered from
phenomenal shortage of confidence,
commodity indispensable to the growth of
mining camp.
We are disposed to regard as very sig
nificant all of the information conveyed
by our correspondent in his last letter,
and we shall look further for important
developments, before long, in camp
that is already producing upon the basis
of a million dollars a year.
Los Angeles may safely enter the Rand
upon it's ledger as an asset of the most
promising character.