Mohave County miner., 1901-03-09
Exaggerations Do More Harm Than
Good.

Good.
There is no question that great min
ing centers have been developed dur
ing the past few years which may have
remained unknown, for an indefinite
time, if silver had not been demone
tized in 1893. Mining men who had in
vested their all in the production of
the white metal, we're compelled to
look in other directions to recoup
themselves from their losses and, at
the same time, find congenial employ
ment for themselves, and an opportun.
ity to retrieve their losses. With this
object in view they engaged in the eX-
ploration of mining propositions which
promised more profitable returns than
silver bearing rock. Gold mines have
been discovered and are being worked.
Copper properties have been eagerly
exploited and developed, and other
mines carrying both gold and copper
have become veritable bonauzas. And
others again, carrying silver and lead
in addition TO their gold and copper
values, are being made wealth pro.
ducers.
The great northwest abounds in min
eral wealth. Colorado is almost daily
presenting to the mining world new
exploits of mineral wealth. Utah is
demonetizing her value as a factor in
promoting mining industries. Mon
tana is still leading the procession of
western metal wealth producing states.
Idaho with her vast deposits of gold,
silver, copper and coal, and its i'm
mense belt of Der, is projecting it.
self before the eyes of the world.
Washington is holding itself on about
even terms with contiguous states, and
Oregon il giving abundant evidence of
its ability to size up favorably, with
its neighbors. Neither state can claim
to be the "only pebble upon the beach"
All are promising mineral wealth pro.
ducers, some are better than the 9TH
ers, but all are good in their line.
There appears, however, disposition
among not few of the publications
in mining sections, to exaggerate their
mineral possessions and their prospec
, tive mineral wealth. OF course, ex-
perienced western men can pretty
actually measure the value of any
given statement concerning the sim.
mense," "vast," and "boundless" min.
eral wealth of this or that section of
the country. They take them all with
few grains of salt and let them go at
that But the average, comparatively
new, conner is apt to be deceived by
exaggerated statements. When he
reads that certain newly discovered
mines put the early day placer mines
of California, comparatively in the
shade, he is among the first to STAN
pede to the boasted FL Dorado. He
gets away as he can, curses the coun-
try, gives it "black eye" and then
works for a stake to get in the next
rush. The old timer pursues differ
ent course. First reports and exag.
gerated statements do not go with him.
He watches for accounts of shipments
to and from the diggings. He looks
for statements, from reputable source,
of assays of ore, looks over the sur.
rounding conditions and is governed
by them. He knows that the first at a
place is often the last one to be bene.
fitted. The forty miners are not the
ones who made the money, they we're
those who came after them. The his.
tory of the old timer is repeated In
every new camp.
The Klondike yarns of two or three
years ago never went down with the
oldest timers in the west or east. They
rightly sized up the boasted diggings
when it was declared that Klondike