The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-02
rWAREOFT91GOLDMINE
.,,cEs BIZ GsToH MINERS sWLNDLE
fuE TESDERF00T,

s.a.c,a-unGenuity or the sharks "A IA.
,,.-, sale or n Mine Wholly Rictittous.
"a. ANGELES, Cal, Dec. 26.-The person who
,.,t.v.. that the sailing Of gold mines Tor ten
S.rAc,t buyers Is n lost art ought TO attend q
snsor Of tho United States court In Los An.
-, ,- Gan Francisco and bo enlightened. To
.. ,pre the fraud 10 ancient and hoary, but
.,r devices lond IL n seeming youthtulness.
,nScod, it Is probable that tho sailed gold mIne
n fre.h g-,lscs will last through several genera
,,ors OF l~nnoconts yet unborn, together with the
rrocn goods swindle, tho thimblo trick, tho
three card monte game, and q lot of other old
rhcats, Every year makes the salted mine ar.
,Ioco moro difficult, but tho rascally miner In 40
much abreast tho times as his prototypes in tho
r,p,ipg world. That no docs his work skill
r,ny and ingoniously IL attested by tho fact
that this ysnr. and every year for q long time.
e1pcriencol and wary miners have been tricked
Into buying worked out md worthless mining
propcrties. A for tho guilelcss tenderfeet
caught by the fraudulent scheme, they mum.
Ter n score every season. At the last session
Of the United States court in Los Angeles there
were thrco cases Of individuals and companies
that claimed to have been duped into buying
paltsd mines.
The opinion obtains in about all the Western
mining regions that Americans and Germans
VA lHo DIV W !" kOlu NM
schemes, and the English the hardest. Tween
ty.Hvo years or 80 ago the English were &C
counted the most susceptible prey for designing
miners out here, but the famous Emma mine
end the sailed Heliker gold mine in Utah,
where moro than 81, 200, 1000 Of English money
was sunk, besides dozens of other ingenious
frauds, have made John Bull the most cautious
Of oil purchasers Of gold properties. Then. too,
tho English are proving nowadays the best
miners In tho West, The English mining CON-
PAN s operating in Arizona, New Mexico, and
California arc by long odds the most success
ful. The highest salaried mining engineers in
the Wost now are English. st. Louis and New
York have been moreseverely deceived in gold
mining operations on the Pacific coast than any
other cities in the United States, though Phila-
~delphians have had heavy losses in worthless
mines in Arizona, in the past few years. Tho
Cromwell mine alone. In tho Congress district
In Arizona, has lost moro than $500. 900 for
Philadclphians in the last six months.
A gold mine which 10 sailed for q purchaser
10 either one that has proved worthless after
considerable work has beon done upon 1t or ono
that has been worked out-that is, 1t has
reached. the end of q vein Of pay ore, or. in placer
mining, has gone to bedrock and insufficient
gold has been found to warrant further work.
Then the owner or owners, II they are sharks,
devise q scheme by which they may attract q
buyer. II 1t Is a quartz mine there are huh
dreds Of ways to make the property look rich.
Nowadays only tine original ways are to be
considered. II the mine has been worked with
any success the sailing Is not difficult, but skill
must DO used in making 1t appear natural. The
other miners In the district have seen the output
Of the property for months. That is strong prima
facie evidence.
When the mining rascal has decided to palm
such q property of for a rich mine, no may
leave q few wheelbarrow loads Of gold. bearing
ore at the bottom Of the mining shaft or on the
floor Of q lateral. Sometimes the ore may
have been laid by for the purpose on account Of
Its wealth Of golden grains. Sometimes 1t is
secretly bought from another mine rich in tho
same class Of ore. At other times the dump of
ore has been doctored with gold dust or flakes
rs the veins OF the quartz are being prepared for
the prospective buyer. The purpose Is to give
the idea that the chunks of collaborating rock
have been carelessly thrown there by all en-
ployee at the close Of q days work. Then tho
shark, by a thousand and one articles. takes
the prospective buyer about tho shaft and
hterals Of the mine, all the while lying elo-
quently as to how much ore there Is in sight
down there. how the vein Of golden quartz ex-
tends further that way. He must be q good
Judge Of human nature, and note as he talks
how his statements are received. OF course,
he always has reasons for maktng a sacrifice of
the property. Then the shark casually leads
the possible purchaser over to the dumps OF
gold;beering rock at the bottom Of the shaft.
"Ah, here's ore that the men have not yet
"Now, Mr.. Jones, that Is a lot Of our ore just
a. 1t has come from the ledge. You see it's q
may be sure we'd never sell such property II we
only had capital for its development. Pick out
s what you wish there for your w examination
Sometimes the shark miner. when he has q
cautious, and somewhat experienced man In
s i5Rs, walls hsU Of ii the y yei n I He of has aiI pPsvio Sis yFS az.
was to discharge a mssfeit loaded with minute
golden pelle 8, like bird shot, against tho eT-
R mashed v snd driven Tns EISsld4sah The foef. lo SGh,s lis Re
nature, The powder, !tains could be easily
metal. Another scheme Is q mining sharks is to
blow by an air pump an ounce Of gold dust
adhere. When the rock Is dry It will be as
I msS a prospect for gold mining as , one
a %Ss i% Sorts 81 4 .o %Sn a 0 tom P Sg sd ESiliiSiSSii ow T9Ss
operation lies a. the paturyalneas with whiea
ct Phoenix, Ariz.. confessed that he had spent
for t%o s %Sasa' ST. II E feiiiiss m a SaafHI liz Rad u ss r dsn.
tai drills, and by most careful labor had in;
serted moro than 3,oOO golden makes OF al
sizes and shapes In the sides Of o tunnel 80 as
to make the quartz show q valuation OF 5000
ton and defy detection Of fraud. A year ago in
tthe trial Of a sailed mine case, In Utah 1t was
found that o quartz mine. which sold for some
thing like 800. 600 had been doctored for
months by several ingenious sharks at an ex-
pense OF about $4,000. A little machine acting
on the principle of the sand blast had been en-
Ployed, and more than $500 worth Of gold dust
had been skllfully driven into tho cracks and
rough spo 8 OF the exposed vein In the mine.
The mine was bought on the Recommendation
or several of the most trusted mining experts,
who had spent days In examining the property
70 assure themselves what y was worth. It's
said by mining lawyers that 1t is doubtful
whether the sailing of the mine could have
eoen proved had not one of the sharpors con-
iessed, 30 artistically had the work beon done,
When the visitor has either picked up chunks
Siore from the dump or hacked of chunks for
himself fro the exposed ledge the tricky miner
gets In his best bits OF ~artifice.
NOW, Keep.those specimens close with you,'
he suggests, land take them TO an assayer or
assay them yourself. Don't trust any one. II
you have your assaying done for you, stay, with
the man and see that y is all correct work"
Sometimes q canvas bag IL provided and the
Ore la mt in n and aeale1 That lends an AIR of