Washington sentinel., 1898-05-21
Mine Sailing,
Ckam6ers's Journal

doctored. The simplest, and prob
ably one OF the earliest, means oi
sailing in the case OF gold mines.
is what is known as the mail trick" "
In this, the prospector, who is
washing a dish oil alluvial or
crushed quartz, has concealed
in his ingernails some fine parti-
cles OF gold. Soon after starting
to wash he finds it necessary to
puddle the dirt with his hands in
order to break up the clayeY sub.
stances, and OF course while he is
pudding, the gold rs freed and
goes into the prospect, eventually
making that pretty "corner" which
the speculator So likes to see. Per-
haps, however, the nefarious pros
pector has his nails too short for
this trick, and he " ill then resort
to the expedient of shooting fine
gold into the dish from his mouth
whenever he gets an opportunity
OF doing so without being obser-
we'd. Sometimes it hap
pens that a really good property is
salted. Thus one ofthe large mines
now working at Broken Hill, and
which has turned out an enormous
quantity Of silver and lead, was
originally sold on salt OF several
tons Of ore convened from a neigh
boring mine, and carefully stacked
about an outcrop. In New South
Wales a gold mine that paid divi-
dends for years was sold in the
same way. On the faith of the
promising Surface show" shaft
was sunk, and at about two hun
dred feet a splendid boo y of aurifer-
Gus stone was struck. In Tasmania
an alluvial tin mine which had been
salted led the purchasers to the
discovery of a gold reef which
amply repaid them for their out
lay.
A few instances of remarkable
cases of sailing may be interesting.
Many persons will perhaps remem-
Der the great tin mine sailing case
in Canada, which was probably the
most cleverlY contrived swindle OF
its kind on record. The operators,
two in number, purchased from
time to time some small parcels Of
tin-ore in Cornwall, and shipped
it to Toronto, taking care never to
send more than a few bags in any
one vessel. From Toronto the ore
was taken out West senaS iIun,iI GdS
OF miles and carefully planted
along a granite ridge, the work
OF shipping and planting taking
about twelve months TO accom-
plish. The salters then lett the
scene and remained away for some
three years. At the end Of that
time it was suddenly announced at
Quebec that what appeared to be
a large and rich tin field had been
discovered in the West, and claim
had been put in for the government
reward of (I think sixty thousand
dollars, which had been several
years on offer for such a discovery.
AS might be expected, considera-
BILE excitement was manifested
over the reported find, and when
the government expert who was
sent to inspect the property pro-
nounced the discovery to be gen.
uine, there was quite a rush of
prospectors and spectators to the
West anxious to peg out or to pur-
chase tin claims. Meanwhile a
company was formed to work the
reward claims; and just when it
was ready to commence work, the
government, acting on the reports
of its skilled advisers, paid over the
reward to the claimants, who, with
this sum and further large amount
obtained by the sale oftheir claims,
suddenly disappeared and were
never afterwards heard Of. 1t is
scarcely surprising that the Cana
dian experts were deceived, as
grass aad moss and other vegeta-
ton had grown over the packed
ore, while the denudation of the
hillsides had resulted in some Of
the tin being washed into neigh
boring creeks, where it was GOV
cred over with sand and debris.
The swindle was exploded by a
Cornish expert who had been sent
for. He recognized the ore as hav
ing come from certain Cornish
mines, and it's sale and shipment
were thereupon quickly traced.
The Mount Huxley mine in
Tasmania afforded an instance of
a most successful salt. A tunnel
was put in a hill for a distance OF
about one hundred feet, and the
sides, roof, and floor were all salted
with fine gold dust The so-called
mine was then offered to Sydney
syndicate, who purchased 1t on the
advice OF an expert. Indeed his ac-
count of the property was so glow
ing, and the assays made from var
ious samples taken were so good,
that the shares in the syndicate
went up to an enormous price,
Gradually the Mount Huxley mine
got to be talked about all over
Australia as a possible second
Mount Morgan, and preparations
were made by the syndicate to
float a company on a large scale,
But the ardor OF the shareholders
was suddenly and effectually
damped by the report OF govern
ment officer who was asked 70 ex-
anime the property, and who de-
clared to the effect that il was no
mine at all, but purely common
place though rather extensive salt.