The Western star., 1900-01-27
MADE RICH IN HASTE.
SOME NEW BONANZA STORIES
FROM SOUTHWEST.
Jake KlIner After Years OF Weary
PlOdding with Jackass in the
Mountains Discovers - Fortuns-An-
other Rich Find.

Millionaires are now being rapidly
made in the southwest Never has
there been such activity in mining
operations in that region as during the
past year, and never before has there
been anything like the number of men
proWling over the mountains, search
ing across the desert wastes, in lonely
gulches, through desolate canons and
among remote foothills or ledges and
deposits of wealth in ore. The way
some men have leaped from compara-
tive poverty to large wealth in five or
six years is one of the wonders even
in land of quickly made fortunes.
For instance, there is Jacob Kliner,
who is a copper and gold king OF Arl-
Zona and Sonora, Mexico. For twenty
four years of all manner of adversely,
patient, plodding search for luck in
prospects, and after a tremendous
| amount of endurance in heat and cold,
he is enjoying an income of about
$4,000 month, and owns property the$
he can sell almost any day for $1,200,-
| 600. He was born in Laban, Prussia,
! forty-six years ago, and came to
America with s17 in his pocket. He
was employed in New York brewery
! for two years at 20 cents day. In
! 1875 he went TO Arizona and along
with thousands of other men became
a mining prospector.
| He tramped over every mountain in
the territory, all the way from Ell Paso
! to Colorado, from Ration, n. NJ, back
! to Albuquerque, from Tombstone to
! Yuma, from Mexico to Chloride. Jake
Kliner and his half-starved jackass
were known all over Arizona. and
! Kliner's perennial belief that he was
soon going to strike it rich became one
of the jests of the miners camps.
At last Jake Kliner found a copper
! prospect In Gila county that looked
well. He had $40 that he had made by
doing day labor in the copper mines
at Bisbee, and, settling down in So
tent with all his earthly possessions,
consisting of frying-pan, kettle.
| coffee-pot, two blankets and few
mining tools. he went to work to open
his copper claim. He worked alone on
it for eleven weeks in 1898 when cop
per was at its lowest market value, and
capital was a scarce article in the
territories. After months of vain seek
ing for some one to come and look at
his copper ledge, Kliner trudged over
the mountains and alkali desert across
the Superstition and San Rita noun
tains, down to Sonora, Mexico, where
he got work at day wages in a silver
mine. He still owned the copper prop
erty, and had done enough work on it
to hold the claim for year. After he
had saved 500 he went to prospecting
again. He travelled along with his
jackass some 300 miles altogether,
sleeping out of doors, eating vile food
and watching out for hostile Yaquis.
And now his luck was due. He found
two claims in five months.
One was a base Of ore-a combina-
ton of lead and silver-and the other
was gold ore that ran about $14 to the
ton. He met at HermosillO, Mexico
a man who bought the base ore
promptly for $4,000. That was Jake
Kliners first real capital after his
years of poverty and hardship. With
that sum he began the development OF
his gold mine, and in a year he got
: out and shipped ore that brought him
5000 cleaS profit. Then the MeXicanS
; who owned the reduction mill where
he sent his ore became interested anC
r offered $4,000 for a half interest in
the gold mine. Kliner was tempted tf
take the offer. but he says he knew ht
. had a good thing and that it was worth
t more money. A week later he solo
half the mine for $50, 1000. This was il
March, 1895.
; Kliner's fortune has grown rapidly
' from that time. The Armadijo mine
4 has paid some $4,000 in profits since
then. and is still yielding from S3,00t
=, to $4,000 a month Four years ag(
0 Kliner returned with ample means t
b his copper mine in Gila county, AriZ
e He put in the best machinery he coult
buy, sunk shafts, and dTifted ant
4 crosscut into the ledge. Copper wa
: not profitable then, and many coppe
3 mines were idle. 1t took much hop
;, and confidence to put $4,000 into ma
, chinery to get out copper ore that hat
+ no buyers at living prices. In 1897
d however, copper rose from s to L
n cents. The Kliner mine began t
/" make more money. Extra laborer
:. were hired and the mine was deepenet
and explored the more, in 1898 tn
$ price of copper advanced to II cent
!. a pound Last winter it touched L
: cents. 1t has since varied from II t,
+ 10. and the copper miners all over tn
t. west have prospered more than eve
e before. Kliner has steadily declined
= to sell his mine in Gila county. H
II mad an offer of 100000 for it in May
1898. Last December he declined 81.
u offers of 100000, and within thirt
:. days he could have sold it out TO
; $3.50, coo.