The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-08-12
BARELY ESCAPE
IN MINING DEAL
Three Salt Laksrs Saved BY
Their Extreme Care.
FOUR SAMPLINGS TAKEN
LAST ONE SHOWS SOMETHING
QUEER IN TRANSACTION.

THREE times did three Salt Lake
mining men sample or have sam
pied an Idaho property, and three
times were the assays of such
character that it looked as If they were
getting at least thirty for one on the
ore in sight. But the three men and
those who were associated with them
in the deal had seen mines before and
knew something about "salted" mines,
and their experience had made them
suspicious. il was this experience ana
consequent suspicion that kept them
from paying out $4,000 and kicking
themselves as suckers afterward.
The three men are Steven Baldwin,
DR.. Fred StauffeT and l.. $. Leaver. A
short time ago they acquired bond on
the Pearl group OF claims in the Dixie
district. about twenty-five miles out
of Mountain Home, Ida. from John
Hampton and +. j. Dryer. At one
time they had n notion that they had
stumbled onto about the best thing in
Idaho.
1t was the fourth sampling that con-
firmed a lurking suspicion in the minds
of those interested that something was
wrong. And suspicion, il may be
stated, came early i'm the game, or i'm
mediately following the second sam
ping.
Assays Ran High.
The preliminary inspection and sam
ping of the property was made by
Messrs. Baldwin and A. II. Godbe, aft
er the former had got track OF the prop
ositiOa presented by the owners. They
found that the vein ran from ten to
fifteen feet wide and their large number
of samples gave average returns OF
about $50 per ton in gold. Baldwin got
an option on the ground and DR.. Staut-
fer and Mr.. Leaver became his part
ners. Then Messrs. Leaver and Godhe
undertook a more thorough samphnS
of the mine.
They guarded their samples with the
usual care Of men in their profession
and much elated were they to find that
they averaged SOB per ton in gold. ON
that trip careful measurements were
taken of the ore bodies and the result
OF their figuring showed that there was
more than 100000 in sight
They Became Suspicious.
And right there was where they be-
came suspicious that something was
wrong. IL was thought possible, how
ever, that the owners did not them
selves realize or know the worth Of the
ground or they would never have
agreed to such a ridiculously small
that Mr. Leaver should sample it
again. He did so and was doubly eau
tioGs that his samples should not be
tempered with. they were tried out
with the result that average returns of
S21.5O were secured. BY this time they
had become almost convinced that
everything was all right and the OWL
ers were notified that the deal was
go.
Still the amount of ore in sight and
the small price of the bOld did not set
just right with them, and before max
ing a payment they decided that r. I.
Godbe should go up without giving
warning. sample the proposition and
see what he could get. He came down
with his samples Saturday got his re-
turns from the assayer Monday, and
now there is another gold mine" in
Idaho that the persons named N the
beginning Of this article do not want.
The last batch of samples went S1.4O
in gold per ton