Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1902-01-15

pedlency, knowing that there are less
chances of the envious "Melican man.
driving them away. Some of the Chi
nese prospectors are attracted to these
old mines, with the hope of finding hid
den treasure. In oIden times, when
the only means of transportation was
by mule, miners buried their gold dust
and nuggets in their camps. Some of
them died suddenly, or were killed by
robbers, and the secret died with them.
Many large sums have been found in
these camps, and, strangely, this vain
hope leads many white prospectors to
explore these old abandoned camps.
The large deposits of mercury, or
| quicksilver, in this state, and the re-
cent active development of these
mines, also add to the cheapness of re-
ducing gold and silver ores. The coast
range of California is very rich in
| quicksilver mines, but they have not
| been developed to any great extent I'M
til recently. 1t is as profitable as
| gold mining, and the risks are less.
This valuable mineral is found in
small globes in porous rocks, but more
commonly in the ore known as red Gin
nabar. Hence, its discovery is much
easier for the prospector, yet this in
| dustry, necessary to mining, has been
almost neglected. 1t was known to ex-
list before the discovery of goId-being
found in the mountain ridge near San
Jose. 1t was discovered by a Mex
| lean, who named the mine New AL
| MAIDEN" after Almaden, in Spain. 1t
produced millions of dollars worth of
| quicksilver, of which the Mexican got
only a few thousands of dollars. This is
| the noted mine for the possession of
| which William McGarrahan contest
ed in the courts for a quarter of a
century, and died penniless. American
prospectOrs also discovered quicksilver
mines along the coast range while look
ing for gold, and abandoned them,
| though they were more valuable than
gold mines. Even when gold was dis
covered, little attention was given to
prospecting for quicksilver, or any 9TH
er mineral, though it was generally
known that imme beds of copper
| existed in the Sierra Nevada noun
| tains, and that the San Bernardino
| mountains on the south were rich in
tin. The prospectors for silver found
! lead in these ores, also nickel. and in
| the beds of streams the miners fourt!
! iron dust which had bSs washed down
! from the mountains. But nc attention
was given to these minerals-the
miners were after god and silver, ard
threw away fortunes in the pursuit.
Now, however. capitalists and more
practical men are prospecting for al,
kinds of minerals and developing the
mines. Almost every metal known to
commerce is found in this state, and,
with cheap labor and modern ma
chinery and appliances, they can be
mined with profit. This is being done,
% new era in the development of
minerals has actively begun. The
! greatest activity is along the coast
range, extending from north of San
Francisco to the Mexican line. Sui
phur is also found in large deposits, and
in the southern part of the state man
| ganese, gypsum, rock salt, silica and
bitumen are found in large quantities
Bitumen, or asphaltum, is very plenti-
full along the coast range, and is now
being mined for use in paving streets
and roads leading to the neighboring
towns.
Only recently has bitumen come into
general commercial use in this Sec
ton. The Mexicans formerly used
asphaltum for roofing HORSEPOWER
ing the asphalt with gravel Many OF