The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-24
TIM DowNEY's FORTUNE.
now $50 Investment Returned Mon
tana Man 100000.
New York Press.)


The opportunity to buy 500 600 for
$50 in cash and longtime note for
$40 doesn't occur often outside of the
green-GOods business. When a man
comes to YOU with an offer like that Won
wonder what gave the fellow an inn
preston that you were born brainless
OF else so looking around for a police
man. And then you smile when the
good thing sneaks away from YOU
Out IN Butte. Mont. are a dozen men
10 whom an offer Of this sort was made
a few months ago Eleven of the
twelve were sensible men, but the
twelfth man was a chump: at least.
that's what the other eleven and all
his friends told him when they heard
that he had jumped at the offer like a
hungry trout at a grasshopper. At this
present InOmsnt each individual mem
Der CT the Sensible Eleven is bewaiIing
the fact that he was born with intel
Hgence enough to lack confidence in his
fellow man, and the aforetime chump
is going about with a face as beaming
and bright as the disc of the MONDAY
sun For part of that 100000 has
been delivered and the rest of il is in
sight.
Timothy Downey is the man who paid
$50 cash for 100000. He was pitied for
his lack OF Judgment six months ago;
now ne is looked up to as one of the
Wise Men Of the West. It would be
unnecessarily cruel 10 name che un-
happy eleven. Mr.. DOwney's $50 cash
secured to him a haIf-intereSt in the
Ada mine. IN the Cataract mining dis
trict. near Basin. in jefferson county.
Montana. In three months the mine
has yielded $4,000 at a Dst of 81. 600.
There is now in sight ore worth s15O.0O0
and the mine is about to pass into the
hands Of a syndicate of eastern CAPT
talists. who nave agreed TO pay to the
owners $3.50. 600 for possession. The first
$4,000 viii be paid some time this
week.
There are lot of old prospectors
holding down mining claims in the
mountains Of Montana. Some Of these
claims have been developed enough 10
convince every one but the owners that
they are valueless. One of the things
necessary to success In mining is faith :;
yet faith is as uncertain as fate-it
may make or IT may break you. About
all that most Of these old proSpectors
have left is faith and their unprOduc-
tive mining claims.
. @ o
1t was a man of this sort who 10
Gated the Ada mine in 1865. He named
his claim. as so many others before him
had done, in honor Of the girl he hs Il
left behind him. The claim was to
make him rich enough TO go back and
marry that same girl and keep her in
luxury all the days of her life That
man was Allen Axe. He started in full
6f hone and energy. He dug little holes
All along the lead from end line to end
line Of his claim. but he didn't do any
deep work. He couldn't sink SHAFT.
because the old prOspector nearly al
WAYS works alone. a1d depth in ms
mine without machinery TO hoist the
ore and the waste, and men 70 work
the machinery. and pumps to keep the
lower workings clear of water, would
be about as pleasan q thing 10 con
fen,uIatA as the wealth OF Andrew Car
,rf Of a
nabited island. In the beginning Mr..
Allen Axe slept on his gun or worked
wifi Il strapped TO his back, for in
the COS there were troublesome Indi-
Every little pit that Mr. Axe opened
on that lead Increased his faith. Other
men came into the district took up
claims near him, worked them while
and then went on in search Of more
profitable ground. But Mr.. Axe stayed
rikhi there. He could not give up his
faith in the Ada mine nor in the Ada
girl ne had left behind him.
Al the end OF thirty-three years Mr.
Axes faith was as firm as ever in the
value Of the Ada mine; but he had
ceased to talk about the Ada girl. \
letter frorN the east long before had
sealed his lips. but whether 1t con-
ras1red a marriage announcement or a
death notice he has never told The
only thing the Ada mine produced IN
stake" After thirty three years of pa
tient effort IA. Axe became convinced
that ne must have help from the out
side and explore the deeps of his lead
10 make the Ada pay. He had grown
70 love t.lat 500 feet of ground along
his lead: every bit IL quartz, OF gran
ite. Of fJorpbyry, Of silica Outcroppings
was as familiar to him as the face OF
his Oldest friend. He dreaded TO part
with any Of his rights In them, but it
had to be done. That is now he hap
pened to go to Butte in search of help.
With his great faith it is not sur
prising that he should declare the Ada
20 be an undeveloped bonanza All he
wanted was $500 to sink a shaft fifty
feet - show It up. when. he felt con-
fident, the mine would be found to be
worth hundreds of thousands of dol