El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-01
DAUGHTER DEAD.
ACHIEVEMENT
ACCOM- PLISHED IN MEXICO.
Cigarette Smoking Used With Success
to Deceive Capitalists in Regard to
the Value of Some Ore Samples.


Probably the most picturesque
achievement in mine sailing ever put
through on the American continent,
writes W. ]. Chalmers in the Saturday
Evening Post of Philadelphia, was that
upon which celebrated mine in north
ern Mexico changed hands. The fame
of this find reached the ears of a group
of men in San Francisco-men who
had made fortunes in mining and
would have resented the insinuation
that they could be caught by any of
the tricks of the trade. They were
experienced prospectors and operators
and some of them, at least. had them
selves handled the pick and shovel and
washed out many a pan of pay-dirt on
a grubstake basis. These capitalists
sent several highly capable experts
down to make a thorough investiga-
ton Realizing the responsibility of
their mission and being thoroughly
capable and conscientious in their pro-
fession, the experts carried out their
instructions to the letter They took
ont the samples with their own hands
put them in small canvas sacks
brought for the purpose. and sealed the
sacks with private seals. Each ex-
pert worked individually and never al
lowed his sample to be handled for a
moment by any person other than him
self.
The mine was located in the inter
ior, and the nearest assay Office was on
the coast. Not only was the journey
to the latter long. tedius and difficult.
but also very dangerous, as the noun
tains were infested with bandits who
asked no better prey than a company
of mining capitalists from the states.
The samples were burdensome, and the
responsibility of keeping a close sur
veillance upon them was not Gesir-
able.
All these considerations moved the
experts to decide that they would do
their own assaying at the mill con-
nected with the mine. Permission to
do this was obtained from the man
ager of the mill. and the experts en-
gagged several Mexicans, who were loaf
ing about the place, to grind the sam
pies. AS the weather was intolerably
hot and the work of reducing ore sam
pies to a fine powder is exceedingly
vigorous exercise, the men from the
states had no inclination to undertake
this severe manual labor. Nor was
there any apparent need that they
should do this in order to protect the
interests of their employers, for the
grinding was done directly under their
own eyes and IN plain SlSnt-
The samples were placed on a fiat
steel plate called a "bucking-board,'
and were reduced to dust by the rock
ing of a heavy. semi-cylindrical piece
of iron. Each expert applied his sam
pies on the bucking-board, stood over
them until they were ground, and then,
gathering up the dust with his own
carried it into the assay, DOM
and Immediately made his analysis.
Every part of the process was done
under the bright sunlight and clearly
within the experts vision.
The fact that the MeXicanS who
worked the hammer were Industrious
ly smoking native cigarettes as they
swayed back and forth above the plate
upon which the samples were being
crushed into powder did not attract the
attention of the experts, who natural
~ expected the proceeding as the usual
thing. OF course the ashes fell into
the grist which accumulated on the
bucking- board, but this was deemed
Of no consequence. Although the Mex
leans seemed to take the work in a
decidedly leisurely way, this was
charged to the native temperament. |
Had the grinders worked half as in
as they smoked their task |
would have been finished in half the |
time that it occupied. |
But the languor which the experts |
felt as a result of the extreme heat |
made them exceedingly lenient with |
the Mexicans. who were allowed to |
take their time and to chatter and |
smoke as much as they liked.
After each expert had completed the |
assay of his own samples the entire |
group compared the results of their |
work and found that the analysis |
showed a splendid yield. With light
hearts and clear consciences the
young men returned to San Francisco |
and reported to their principals. Civ