The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-01
WOMAN ASSAYIST
Who Operates a Rich Gold Mine and
Superintends All Work.
GAINESVILLE. Wis, Special to st. Louis Post

gainesville, Ms, Specldl 20 d. LOUIS fVsl-
From a schoolgirl in the GAINESVILLE schools
10 the owner, operator and manager or a
100000 gold mine in Arizona is a tale Dor
pink-covered literature, but that is the
achievement of Mary West, a former James
vile girl Not only has she done that, but
she has opened a new field for women in
the far West. That is of an assayer and
mine promoter.
Mary West is remembered here by some
of the girls who were her schoolmates
years ago. She was but a slip of a girl
when her father moved his family to Lead
Vile, COL, but she had already shown re-
markable aptitude in her studies. In Lead
vile she continued her education and was
known as one of the brightest students in
the little mining city's schools before she
had been there a year. Her father was the
mine, and at home made private tests for
miners. Minersals interested Mary West
and she came to know every grade of metal
and its value.
Gradually she imbibed her fathers
knowledge. She learned the thousand and
one things about metallurgy which every
prospector should know and but few take
the time to study. In 1887 her father dice
and Miss West was compelled to start TO
work in earnest to support her mother and
herself.
Scarcely more than a schoolgirl, she be-
came a teacher In a Colorado mining camp.
Saving enough money from her household
expenses, she was able to take a course or
SIuuy dI the SCHOOL IOT mlUeTS III DtuNSi
during her summer vacations. Then she
came to the University of Chicago and
finished her course. Two years more OF
school,teaching and she was ready for the
establishing OF an assay office. Chloride,
Ariz., was then a rich camp, and thither
she went, accompanied by her mother.
Aside from the hard work of the assaying
she had still harder work to impress the
rough miners that a woman knew about
minerals. She was discouraged and heart
sick. Then followed four years of heart
breaking toll as a prospector. Days, weeks,
and months she and her brother climbed
over mountain ranges, looking for precious
metals. Weeks she slept on the ground at
night and suffered all the inconvenience
of a prospector. Once she was sick for
weeks in the dirty hut of a Yaqui Indian,
and one winter she and her brother spent
the winter in a little cabin In the Sierra
Mountains in Mexico. living on beans and
pork and occasional vegetables bought
from the Indians. But victory came to
her and she discovered at last the golden
ledge she looked for.
She had but little money left, so after
months Of manual toll in discovering how
valuable the mines were she went to Tomb
stone and became a teacher again. With
money thus earned a shaft was sunk in the
ledge and at thirty feet down the pay rock
was struck. Then came the sale of the
property for $4,000.
Now it was plain sailing. The scoffers
stopped their idle chaff and mine after
mine was offered to the woman miner. She
turned down many of the offers, some of
az taAhNa " AaN ~
than was ever dreamed of. Finally she
bought a claim ninety miles from ManZa-
nita at a reasonable figure and started to
develop it. In all she spent $50 1000 on the
hole in the ground the miners and prospec-
tors called it before it began to pay. Then
came riches and to-day the Wisconsin mine
Is known all over the country as one of
the richest in all the Southwest.
That was four years ago. Since then
Mary West has organized a company OF
Ell Paso stockholders, has christened the
mine the Wisconsin, after her native State,
and has spent over $4,000 in development
work. She owns a fraction over one-half
the stock. She became manager OF the prop
erty and lives with her mother and brother
near the wisconsin. She knows every de-
tail of the property. Not a day passes that
she is not deep down in the underground
drifts and laterals watching all that takes
place. She has about twenty men In her
employ all the time, sometimes more. Early
and late she is about her work. The men
get their orders from her, and not a foot of
rock is removed without her knowledge.
The miners say that she is unusually keen
In knowing where the various conditions or
ore lie. Occasionally she goes across the
ing interests of the mine.
Mary West dresses for her work. She
wears a heavy blouse, short skirt, long
leathern-laced heavy-soled leggins and a
SLOUGH hat. Halt a dozen times a day she
travels UP and down the deep mine shaft
wire cable on a windlass. She keeps posted
on the latest improvements In mining, and
the library on metallurgy and geology of
American mines that she has accumulated
at her home is up to date. From dawn
till dark she is always busy-in the assay
ing room, down In the mine. in the office.
Her evenings are spent in the home, where
she finds delight in the current literature.