Arizona republican., 1898-01-31
MINING METHODS CHANGED.
A Bostonian Tells of His Early Ex
 periences in Colorado.

A Bostonian Tells of His Early Ex-
 periences in Colorado.
 "The thoroughness with which min ing is done in these days" said H. C. Tarrant of Boston at the Albany ho- tel yesterday, lis marvel to the old time miners, especially those that like myself tried it and filled through the imperfections of treatment and the expense of handling incident to those days. Let me give you a bit of my experience right here in Colorad dO twenty-five years ago that will illus trate how great has been the improve ment in mining since that time. l came here in 1872 at the invitation of Mr. Tappan, then a well known citi- zen of Denver, who was an enthusl- astic admirer of Colorado, and thought there would be an opportun- ity for me to do we'll in this state. I knew nothing about mining and metallurgy, but I knew something about engineering, and was young and enthusiastic, so when I was offered an interest in a property in Clear Creek county I accepted it, and went to work. The ore on the surface ran we'll in silver, and as silver was in demand at that time everything took a rosy hue. My partner was mining man, and I left the operations of the mine entirely to him, my part of the work being to look after the business end, settling with the smelters, etc. We had no idea of the proper method of developing the property, and if we had, did not have the money to sink deep shafts and run drifts to open up ore reserves, so we cOntented our selves with taking out ore where we found it. For time we made money, though when l think of the enormous expense incurred it makes me shiver even now. Then we began to lose values as we reached the solid sul- phides, but we kept on sinking and hunting for little pockets of rich ore as long as our money laStedI Some enc told us that our Ore could be con- centrated and we took it over to a mill in Gilpin county.
 "The assay value of the ere was $50 per ton, but when we got our con- centrates they were worth but S1o to the ton in silver-less than it had cost us to mine, transport and mill the ore The end came when we had no more money. I had not lost a. great deal, but it was enough, and I was glad it was no mo,e.
 tI returned to Boston convinced that mining was a delusion and a snare, and engaged in business in that city. Ten years later a friend of mine came out here and I asked him to look up my property. He found it and on his return brought with him several samples of the sulphide ores that had been our undloing. Your mine is just as you left it, said he, except that 1t is slowly falling to pieces. But do you know that you have any quantity of ore on your dump that will run from SIP to $20 in gold?' I was surprised that there was any gold in the ore, and could not believe him until he showed me several certificates of Burlingame, giving these values. I had all that I wanted of mining, however, and re- piled that it made no difference if it carried $100 in gold so long as it could not be got out. He then told me that he had bought my partners interest and offered me what I had lost for my half of the mine.
 'It was like finding money and I accepted it. He was a cautious man and before expending any more mon ey, commenced eXperimentin with the ore ol the dumpsl But even then the machinery had not reached its present stage of perfection and after his efforts had extended over a per- iod of nearly three years he gave it up, though convinced that the time would come when the mine would be valuable, as he had ascertained that there was a large deposit of su phde3 of fair grade in the property. He put the shaft and workings in repair and waited. This winter he told me that for three years he had been receiving g a handsome income from the proper ty, whic his daily increasing in value. In the meantime my interest in min ing had revived and with the money obtained from him I went out to California, where I have been minin g for twelve years with good results. My experience has been of all kinds, and I am now convinced that mining is one absolutely safel business in the country if men will take hold of it on business principles. I am now making a good profit on $6 org, and I am satisfied that the time will come when ores running as low as S4 to the ton if in sufficient quantities can be mined and milled at a profit 9 Denver Republican.
 IMMENSE MILLS FOR ALASKA.