The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-02-04
"SALTING" A GOLD MINE.
HOW TO TURN A WORTHLESS CLAIM
INTO A BONANZA.


Lots of people think said the
grizzled Fortyniner, that nowadays
sailing gold mine is one Of the lost
arts. Those people were never more
mistaken in their lives. Sailing mine
to sell 1t Is even more common than
1t used to be, and every week in the
far West some shrewd dealer, by the
liberal use of salt unloads an empty
proposition on the guileless tenderfoot.
Easy to detect, you should think?
Not bit of 1t. An old hand at the game
will salt a mine right under your
eyes, and you never the wiser.
Tell you how 1t is done, you say?
Well, you must think I am pretty
crooked myself, to know the ways Of
the devious ones; but experience is
thorough teacher, you know.
well, there are all sorts and kinds
Of Sailing; one Of the neatest tricks
Is In the manner Of Sailing mine
where the test is by pan. Suppose, for
instance, a man comes to sell you a
gold claim. He declares that his pay
dirt pans out $50 to the pan or there
abouts, and offers to take you right
out to the claim and prove his state
ment. You take him up, and out you
go together. Your man Is openness it.
SELF He tells you to shovel UP a pan
Of dirt from any place on the claim
that you like, and he will wash 1t out
for you. What could be fairer than
that? No possible chance for a fake,
you think. OF course not!
"All right. You shovel up your PAN
full at random and hand 1t over to your
man to be washed. You watch him
with an eagle eye. No chance while
you are by for him to slip little dust
from his hand into the pan! You are
too keen for that, Of course. In fact, as
the moments speed by, and the dirt
and water swirl away over the edge,
you begin to think what a nice old boy
he is anyway-nothing to conceal,
everything open and aboveboard. His
smile is truly benevolent as he puffs
away on his old pipe, or, rather, bites
the stem in the corner Of his mouth
for he is SO in earnest over his work
that he has fairly let the pipe 60 out,
and It is almost upside down.
"Look out!' you say, your ashes
are falling out
"'Oh, well, the tobacco is out any
| way, he says, and goes steadily on
with his work, you meanwhile watch
ing eagerly and covetously for the
shining particles and dust to CLEAN
from the black sand at the bottom.
All, there they are at last!
| "You draw a deep breath of relief
and delight, while the benevolent old
man looks up with a kindly smile and
says, shaking his head: Wal, declare,
that shows up heap sight better even
than l figured on. I'm sort of sorry
named that price to you on this ere
claim. Looks like as If you had bo-
nanza.'
"'But you gave me your word you
blurt out impetuously, and you can't
60 back on It,
"'No. young feller, that's right. I'll
stick to what said. But gosh! l had no
Idea she'd pan out like this
with trembling hands you scoop
up the sand and gold from the pan and
dash away to the assayer's Office. You
can feel your hair turn gray while he
is weighing it out
"sSixty.two dollars he announces
"Whew! You almost drop in a dead
faint with delight. You'll have a for
tune in week at that rate. This is
indeed the country of gold!
"You rush after the old man and
put the transfer papers through in q
jiffy, paying out every dollar that you
possess in the world for the claim. You
are full Of gratitude to the old man
who stuck by his word of honor, re-
gardless of loss. You did not know tina,
In mining camps moral standards were
so high.
But the next morning comes 9
change. After a couple Of hours o.
back breaking panning out you have
practically nothing for your palms.
few dollars perhaps-hardly more thar
go cents a pan. A horrible suspicion
enters your mind that there is some
thing wrong.
"Why continue the suspense? Tht
mining expert, whom you summon II
and whose reputation is known fol
miles around, looks over the ground
and then asks you few questions
about the former owner who sold yo,
the claim. Positively no chance fol
Sailing the testpan, you assert.
, "The expert mods assent. Was h
smoking?' he asks.
"'Let me think You meditate-'Al
, yes. smoking an old clay pipe
"'Bowl upside DOWN. asks the ex
pert pleasantly.
"'Why yes, guess it was; in fact
"T know interrupts the expert. 'Th
, pipe was out, big bunch Of gold dus
was mixed with the ashes, and the.
, all sifted from the bowl into the pan
"a, sudden light dawns upon you
I mind.
. "'Oh, just one of the old ways o
: Sailing a gold mine says the ex
: pert consolingly. I hope he didn't hi
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