Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-12-03
One Of the Great Pull Backs in Mining.

they betray lack Of sagacity that were
it not so damaging would be laughable
They themselves should they see q
neighbor, competitive business man
on the street, call in his drayman tc
take charge Of his establishment while
he went away on vacation, they would
think that man had gone insane or was
afflicted with softening of the brain
and they would predict an early col.
lapse of that concern. And yet wonder
of wonders they no sooner get control
of the stock of mining corporation
then they proceed to do a thing which
exceeds the act of their insane neighbor
in downright stupidity. 1t comes about
in this way. They have a nephew, OF
perhaps a son, a rattle headed boy just
out Of school whom they desire to see
engaged in some kind of useful occupa.
ton, or perhaps to remove him from
evil associations, and knowing that by
reason ofa lack Of necessary training
the boy Is unfit to take charge of any
department in the business in which he
himself has accumulated a fortune, he
decides to send him to the mountains to
take charge of mine.
Now it so happens that failure in
most any kind of enterprise that goes to
make up the worlds business is to a GER
tain extent reparabe, as something is
most always left from the wreck, but a
failure in mining leaves nothing but a
gaping hole in the ground. Mistakes in
mining are therefore the most expen
sive mistakes a man can make in fin
ancial point Of view. It's damaging
results are far more extensive too than
is generally considered by those who
are new to the business, for the reason
that il not only subjects the company to
great loss, and often bankruptcy, but it
destroys the reputation Of the mine, and
gives the district black eye from which
it may not recover for years, and per-
haps never. 1t affects every mine and
every miner in the district and it goes
further. 1t is disastrous to the com.
munity and to the town which has
largely been built up on the prospec-
tive value of the surrounding mines
When a great mine fails and shuts
down, it is like caving of the earth
from beneath the feet Of the commun
ity.
First, the mine owners Immediately
surrounding, finding they cannot induce
capital to take hold of and develop their
ground, are forced to move away and
seek for job where they may work for
wages. Then the merchant fails be-
cause his customers have gone and there
is no trade. Then the ranchman is put
to great straights because there are none
to buy his produce. Then. he too is
compelled to move away and the camp
becomes deserted
Custer has suffered this kind calamity
once, when from a population of 5000,
the camp dwindled away until there was
but four families remaining in the town.
The practice we have mentioned of
sending cut incompetent and inexperi-
enced men, pet and favorites, to super
intend the workings Of mine is COM
mon. and for that reason failures in
mining enterprises have been more
common than they should be. 1t has
been the reason of more failures than
all other causes put together. And it is
to be regretted that these men, merch-
ants, manufacturers and capitalists do
not seem to learn by tine experience of
others, the practice is still kept up 1t
illustrates the old adage Fools rush on
fools as wave follows waye," and an
other, Fools rush in where angels fear
to tread"
1t is high time this folly should end.
The press in the different mining camps
should make note of it and condem it
In the strongest terms and the people,
residents of the Hills, who know it's
disastrous effect, land we have all seen
it, should cry it down. To do so is not
only to protect the interests of the peo
pie, but it is mercy to the corporation
or capitalists who have INVESTED their
money. They desire a success. They
do not want to loose their money, but
they understand so little about mining
that they do not know that there is any
thing to be learned about the business.
There are men who receive $4,000 per
annum to superintend mine. There
are men who receive $4,000 to examine
mine and report upon it. Surely
these business men should be aware
that there must be something about the
business which their boy just out Of
school does not understand. Surely
they must know, if they stop to think,
that such sums are not paid to men to
shovel and pick and that there must be
something about the business which it
is valuable to know and fatal to be ig-
norant Of A man to be a miner in the
full sense of the word, must be geoo
gist, mineralogist, chemist and as
sayer. He must not only understand
how to classify ores and rock, he must
understand something of natures meth.
DDS of vein filling and the kind Of for
matt most likely to carry the particu-
lar character Of mineral which he seeks.
To be an expert miner in these days
Of advanced knowledge he must be ac-
quainted with the sciences which we
have enumerated, and then he has but
just entered upon the threshold Of MIN
ing. He has yet to learn the different