Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-12-11
PlTISE0N'S GOLD MINE.
A. l. Pendleton Negotiating for Reopeninq
the Operations

I'm Ht9dilatlh% with parties for Il
snare in my gold mine" remarked A.
H. Pendleton. the man who owns the
controlling interest in III" prndIeton
gold mine in Pittston. to the Journal
the other day. These men with whom
| have been talking have become con
WINGED. as | am, that there is gold
enough To be found there. ana they are
willing to go in with me in the further
operation Of the place"
Mr.. Pendleton is well known to the
people Of Pittston ana Gardiner. and
many in this section have heard of
him. His gold mine is one of the few
in the State of Maine. though he says
he has no doubt that there is gold all
through the State. only his mine hap
pens to be the place where the ledge
crops out. 50 that ii is shown where
the gold is. His success has not been
great. though the further down he goes
into the ledge thu greater is the deposit
of gold according to the best assayists
Of the Pacific coast, as well as some Of
the Eastern states.
The controlling owner of these mines
is Mir Pendleton, though he is not the
sole owner. He had a company incor-
porated. a few years ago, at $4,000.
and he holds by far the controlling in
terest. 50 that he can do about as he
pleases
Have you always been miner"
the Journal inquired.
No. | have never done anything at
it before going into this latest project.
I began life over in stockton. and for
time I was a ship-builder. The war
opened and | left for it. Coming back
J assumed the State agency for the
Home ana Domestic sewing machine
companies. Tor years I had agents in
all parts Of the state, ana | have left
many machines here. | was on the
road for the machines for years and
finally several years ago firing Of
travelling. a bought large stock Of
machines and settled in Gardiner
Retiring from this business | bought
farm in Pittston and went to work
on it. I soon found that | was not
fitted for that life, however. as the very
wood [ handled poisoned me SO badly
that it was worse than mercury pois
onng."
He tells Of how he was blasting
ledge for some purpose. when he came
upon this sign Of gold. He pounded
the rock; took some mercury ana then
taking acid disposed Of the latter leav
ing the grains of pure gold Since that
time the greatest dream Of his life has
been to see the mine operating on pay
ing basis. He succeeded in getting a
company formed ana interesting others
for the assays that were made were
proofs enough that there was a pay
ing amount of gold in the ore that was
taken from the ground. Even at is
inches below tue surface the ore as
saved ST. a ton with silver enough to
pay for the work. \ mill was con-
structed on a stream there and the
work begun. This was not a total sue
cess Nj. Pendleton says il was be
cause it was not properly managed.
The process he claims was not proper
~ carried out. and furthermore the
machinery was not adapted to the work
and more Of the gold went to waste
than was saved. He insists that if the
mill was properly equipped and oper
ated there would be a paying amount
of the metal taken from the rock
4 Gardiner man who has mined in
the West, says that he never saw a
better place for the extraction Of gold
from quartz. He says that the ore
down at several feet will assay at least
500 to the ton. 1t has already assaycd
as high as $40 and more at the small
depth that they have worked it. Ore
taken from the side of Mr.. Pendleton's
well that was blasted through a ledge.
assays extremely high.
IF I can get the proper support" he
I
am in communication | can easily
make the mine a paying one, unlike
any other that has Yet been started in
this State, and then | shall be con-
tent"
He has samples of the gold in his
pocket book for inspection. and on his
right hand he wears a heavy band
ring made of the gold from his mine.