Mohave County miner., 1900-04-21
Gold Fields Of leadville.

ful possibilities. Summit county pro-
ducers the largest gold nuggets found
in the state, and Cripple Creek is a
worlds wonder. But after all Lead
vile is the pride and mainstay of Col
orado, with past production of nearly
sDO,OO0,OOOS. The old time miners be.
sin to realize that mining has just COM
menced in Leadville. Up to 1893 it
was considered good lead and low
grade silver camp In '93 lead and sill
yer dropped to point where there was
no profit in mining it. There had been
too much hard work, time and money
spent in Leadville to think of aban-
doning the camp, and the Leadville
miners started in to find gold. In
early days they went through the por-
phyry, and between it and the lime
they found lead aud silver.
The gold prospectors started to go
through the lime. 1t was hard and ex-
pensive, requiring heavy machinery.
They had to pump rivers of water and
fight against quicksand. OF course the
first man went broke--he always goes
broke. How it was finally accom- plish-
ed is too long a story for US now. 1t
was done. The gold was found be-
tween the lime and the quartzite. 1t
was no narrow pinched up vein, no lit
tie pocket. 1t was one great broad
thick map of ore. You can go down
into the Little Johnny mine and walk
all day--two days, three days, yes,
week, through drifts, levels, winze-up-
raisers for miles upon miles, and you
see nothing but gold ore. 1t is under
your feet and over your head, on your
left and write hand side. What does it
rum | have been creditably informed
that it runs from 30s per pan to 1,OOOs
sack of say 100 weight. Sometimes
in this great map of ore they find pock-
cts Of gold nuggets, masses of pure
wire gold fit for the mint or for jewelry.
But this is not the only big gold
mine in Leadville. They have miles of
them. The Resurrection mine, which
an English company is trying to buy
for 3,OOO,OOOS, has body of ore As feet
thick; its length and breadth has not
yet been defined, although they have
driven drifts for hundreds and thou
sands of feet through the ore. 1t is
claimed by those that should know,
that this whole map OF ore nets over
l0s ton, with large punches of high
grade ore that sometime runs up into
the hundreds. Then there is the Home
Mining Company. A year ago you
could buy its stock for Is share and
pay for it in wood or baled hay, or
orders on the grocery. Today they are
breaking from 300 to 500 tons of ore a
day, and their output would be larger
If the three railroads and smelters
could handle the ore, and the stock is
worth from 25s to 30s share in gold
coin. Leadville is in the great sui
phide belt that reaches from the range
to Alma to the east and Breckenridge
to the north; it is at least forty miles
long and twenty miles wide. This area
contains more gold than is to be found
in the United States Treasury, in all
the banks in Chicago, New York City,
and the capital of the Bank of Eng.
land, France, Germany and Russia, all
com bined. The total capital of these
four banks is given at 176,372, 1865, or
only about one-half of the past pro-
duction of the mines within a radius
of two and half miles of the court
house in Leadville. A prominent min
ing engineer in writing of Leadville,
said: "The deepest mines are still
pursuing their downward course and
their outward reach through the treas
ure laden channels acres and miles of
virgin ground with their myriads of
rich veins still awaiting the conquest
the deep sounding drill, while hun
dreds Of openings in the hills which
promise to be among the rich mines of
the future remain idle aud undevelop-
ed, awaiting the vitalizing touch of
capital and labor. These are among
the substantial assurances of the great
achievements which await the advance
ment of present operations"
Beautiful words truly spoken. Lead
vile is an apple Of gold set in bas-
ket of silver.
1t is, and will be for hundred years
to come, the greatest mining camp the
world has ever seen--for here the ore