Idaho Springs siftings., 1902-09-20


to be encountered by the Lucania tun-
mel he cannot but express the senti-
ment that the portal to this great
enterprise will become the treasury
door of northern Colorado.
1t would be useless to attempt to
enumerate the profit that should, by
every logical process of reasoning,
pass through this open portal to go
out to bless the commercial world
When one attempts to reach logical
figures they appal him. When he sees
the great veins with his own eyes
above the line of the tunnel, and then
realizes that they are as sure to exist
at great depth as the sun is to rise in
the East and set in the West, he
wonders why humanity, in its greed
for the dollar, has not prosecuted this
enterprise before.
1t is a case where returns are as GER
tain as death and taxes. No one can
visit the property without coming to
this conclusion. Were it possible for
the investors of the country to go over
the line of the Lucania tunnel, see ev-
erything that can be seen from the
surface with their own eyes, inyesti-
gate the great producing properties in
front of the big bore, take into con-
sideration the utility of the enterprise
when finished and everything in con-
nection with its future as great tun-
mel proposition, there would be not
only thousands but millions at hand
to complete the work.
1t is unfortunate that such PROPOSE
tions are not in position where their
real merits and virtues can be placed
before the public-the public must see
them. In other words, it is case
where the mountain cannot go to Ma
homet
Hundreds of illegitimate propositions
claim as much as the Lucania- They
publish literature gold bangled and
spangled and fool the public into in
vestment Failure is inevitable and
the public not only loses confidence in
the proposition i'll which it lost its
capital invested, but it also loses CON
tidence in mining generally. Under
such circumstances a great proposition
like the Lucania must labor tirelessly
and diligently to place its stock, while
the eastern investor is working just
as hard to purchase bonds that will
net him perhaps five per cent per
year. 1t would be difficult to deter
IN, T II
cania would pay. With the tunnel
driven through and transporting the
ore out from veins of its own, and
those it cuts that belong to other peo-
pie, it's stock would be worth ten times
par value or even more than that
AS stated in the beginning, when one
begins to place the chances in the
shape of numerals they appall him,
and yet returns are as certain as it
would be possible to make them,
either by guaranty or otherwise.
Standing on the summit of Bellevue
mountain one gets a wonderful view
of the great gold belt of the Idaho
Springs district and he notes as he
casts his eye over the line of the Lu-
-cania that it cuts directly through the
center of this rich treasure vault of
mother earth. Looking to the west
he sees beyond the portal of the tun-
mel the great Lamartine, with its pro-
,duction record of over $5,000,000, and
the rich territory of the Freeland and
all the old producers beyond. To the
south is the Shafter and the wonder
fully rich producers of Bellevue and
along Clear creek. To the north is
Yankee hill, one of the richest little
sections of the district, and to the east
and northeast all of Gilpin county
which has become known as one of
the golden townships of the world.
Wherever you stand on the line of the
tunnel you are surrounded by mine
dumps and rich mines. This is true
from one end of the tunnel to the
other.
To look down into the great amphi-
theater from the apex of Bellevue to
the portal shows the wonderful depth
attained. In places it is over 1000
feet, and one hardly realizes that it is
nossible that a subterranean hallway