The Topeka state journal., 1899-08-11
TOPEKA GOLD SEEKERS.
They Are Interviewed About Pros
poets In Denver.

Colonel Fred Close evidently does not
intend to be shaken in his belief that
there is gold in the Ellis county shale,
despite the fact that chemists and as
sayers cannot find it. He is now IN
Denver, and in an interview which ap-
peared Wednesday in the Rocky Noun
tain News he says that his company IN
tends to go ahead with building Dig
ore mill near Ellis. The News says:
" we do not care whether the public
believes it or not said Colonel Fred J.
Close OF Topeka, at the Brown Palace
last night, speaking of the Kansas gold
boom. because there is none of it for
sale and we can get along just as well
without publicity as with it..
Colonel Close is in Denver in COM
pany with c. K. Holiday, Jr-, son of
President c. K. Holiday of the Mer-
chants National bank of Topeka and
director of the Santa Fe Railroad COM
pany. Colonel Close was private sec
retary to Governor Lewelling during the
Iatter's administration Besides him
self and the two Holidays there IS one
other person interested in the partner
ship which is preparing to develop the
largest tract of shale in the Smoky river
district This is F. r Johnson, also OF
Topeka. The two visitors say they
are in Denver for the purpose of pur-
chasing machinery, and they viii begin
TO erect a hundred ton mill twelve miles
from Ellis, Kan, on the property with
IN thirty days.
" we cannot say just what method Of
treatment We Will USE SStlu OOAbAACA
Close but of course the Beam process
has been under consideration. We are
at present making some tests upon
which our decision will hinge. We will
begin erecting the plant as soon as this
IS settled, as the capital is easily forth
coming 1t will be upon our own prop
erty and the expense Of treatment viii
not be great It is our estimate that
SO in gold, SO in silver and 20 per cent
zinc can be taken out of the ore We
have 5000 acres, probably the largest
individual tract in the district. II you
should go out there you would have
trouble in finding any of the land for
sale. The Topeka people have laughed
at the idea of there being gold in the
shale, but 1t makes no difference to US.
1t is there, and we are going to get it.
take hold Of the project and L am not
working for pleasure alone
Mr. Holiday will return to Topeka
today. but Mr.. Close will remain until
the negotiations for the machinery are
completed
In the Denver Republican yesterday
appeared the following:
IS s. OFT of Topeka, kan, who is at
the Windsor, is experimenting with the
gold found near Ellis. Kan, in an ex-
tensive deposit of shale. Mr.. OFT is in
terested in the company which will de-
velOp the new find. He says MS exper-
iments, as far as they have gone, have
been satisfactory.
" I cannot give you any further in
formation, he said, for I do not know
myself what the result of the expert
ments will be. We are sure that we
have gold, but how much of a deposit
there is remains to be seem
Mr.. OFT was formerly field agent for
the Santa F'e land department. Since
that department was abolished by the
road he has been devoting his attention
to the vast amount of land he owns in
the west. He has thousands of acres
along the Santa Fe which he purchased
from that road