The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-10-31
he FOUND COLD.
Prof. LOveweIl Returns From
the ShaIe Fields.
Makes a Favorable Report on
Gage Process.
WILL BUILD A MILL.
Texas Capitalists Will Spend
$4,000 at Once.
Expert Talks About Success of
His Researches.

Prof ]. t. Lovewell, who has been
in Ellis county for the past two weeks
investigating the Gage gold mill, made
a favorable report on the process, and
a $4,000 mill to handle fifty tons of
shale daily, is to be erected at once in
the Smoky Hill valley.
r. L. Beatty, Judge M. S. Waller and
A McMasters, secretary of the Gal
weston chamber of commerce, are all
in Topeka today, and will be here for
few days organizing a company All
three of these men own large interests
in the Beaumont oil fields, and have
unlimited capital to back their under
taking.
The plan is to organize a stock COM
pany, and issue shares of the stock TO
certain Topeka parties who own shale
land The capitalists will retain GER
tain portion of the stock as equival-
emit for the money which they will in
vest in developing the field. The three
capitalists who are interesting them
selves in the plan are all Topeka men.
1t is proposed to buy a building
which now stands on the banks of
Smoky Hill river. known as the old
Miller mill" 1t was built some years
Miller who tried to demonstrate that he
had process for extracting the gold
from the shale. The old Miller mill will
be equipped with a 60-horse power en-
"
immense watts for handling the shale.
1t is understood that Prof Gage, the
inventor of the cyanide process. is to
receive a per cent of the profits. The
mill will be equipped as quickly as pos
sible, and it is thought that it will be
running inside of 80 days.
Prof Lovewell returned today from
Ellis county and was seen by reporter
for the State Journal. He said:
1T is true that / have given it as
my opinion that the Gage process is
success. But do not certify that I Sc
cured such large values as were obtain
ed by Mr.. Gage. My results averaged
about SO a ton in gold. I do not know
how much silver we obtained. That
has not been fully determined I think
that Mr. Beatty and others are salts
fed that there is gold in the shale. and
they propose to make a thorough test
by means of good machinery and large
about the plans of the gentlemen who
are expecting to build the MILL
Prof. Lovewell was employed by Mr..
Beatty to visit the Gage mill. and test
the Gage process thoroughly. He has
been engaged in this work for Mr..
Beatty since October II, though about
half of this time has been wasted owing
to a breakdown in one of the rollers
used in the Shale crushing machinery.
A few days ago this roller was replaced,
and the recent good results which Mr..
Lovewell reports have been secured
since that time
Before the crusher broke down, Mr..
Lovewell made several tests of the
shale, and secured generally good re-
suits.
Some assert that these values were
placed in the shale by parties interest
ed in the development of the gold fields.
Whether or not this is the case is of
course one of the mysteries of the
whole proposition.
There is great excitement over the
gold situation among the people living
in the vicinity of Smoky Hill mill and
crowds of men are coming into the lit
tie embryotic gold town. If the good
results of the Gage mill are fully veri-
fed, the shale lands will be like a sec
ond Cape Nome or Dawson City. Sew
eral Topeka men who own shale lands
are planning to go to Ellis county to-