Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1904-05-21
The Discovery of Mines.

Miners, as a class, are gifted with a
vein of romanticism in their mental
makeup. 1t is we'll that it Is so, for
without the hardihood, the adventurous
spirit that goes to make up romantic
disposition most of the mineral wealth
of the world would be still hidden in
savage Businesses.
We do not think that the fortitude
displayed by the Alaska or Matabele-
land pioneers was entirely due to the
thirst for gold. The spirit of the pioneer
and prospector is similar to that evin-
eed by the soldier or sailor, who surely
do not take up their professions because
of monetary considerations. AS one who
has foregathered with all of these class
es of men, we recognize a similarity of
instinct and characteristics in their ma
lures. They all have a reckless courage,
born of fatalsm; they are all more or
less superstitious, and, lastly, they have
the imaginations that cause them to do
great deeds.
Today it is recognized generally that
to do great work imagination is essen
tial. Scientific men even write learned
works, showing that imagination is es-
sential to the scientists mentality. We
have been told lately that ''fnancier
is only a pawnbroker with an magma
ton" That miners have this gift of
imagination needs no demonstration to
those who have camped with them and
have listened to their free, untrammeled
flow of ideas. Then, too, can we not
proudly claim the immortal Baron Mum
chausen as an honored member of our
craft?
The gift of imagination is not neces-
sarily concentrated into the purpose of
work. 1t has lighter and more fanci-
full side. Half, or more than half, the
traditions of lost mines or of the dis
covery of famous mines are pure mag
inings, invented to pass an idle hour.
For instance, some of our readers may
have heard of. a certain Dead Dog"
mine in Arizona. There may be such a
mine, but the one we allude to is quite
mythical. The value of the ore in this
mine approached the fabulous and its
alleged doings obtained wide publicity.
The whole story was evolved from the
fertile imaginations of two invalid min
ing men reeuperating at Phoenix, Ar
iona, hotel. We knew them well and
knew that the whole story originated
IN joke on callow newspaper report
sr. The fine. jovial fellows have crossed
The range, but the story still survives
and it would not surprise us if an act
We search should be instituted for the
lost Dead Dog" mine.
The romantic side of mining has q
perennial interest for the general as
we'll as the mining reader. Possibly no
more widely copied item ever appeared
n Mining Reporter than a column ar
lcle on the traditions relating to the
ldventitious discoveries of some famous
nlnes. 10 those stories may be added |
he legendary discovery of the Ell Taio
nine in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico
he story told us around a camp fire on
ne crests of the Sierra Madre Occiden-
al was SO clrcumstantial that it MIGHT +
osslbly be true. On a stormy NIGHT in i
august, 1865, a belated peon by the 7
anne OF Leon Rojas had the misfortune y
catcn MS rosary on bush or rock f
catering the beads on the ground @
Unwilling to lose the sacred beads. and !
eng unable to see them on account of !,
the peon made a fire and
5ayed by the spot all night. In the Il
forming he found, to his amazement n
nat where his fire had been. was q sol, :,
plate of silver that had been smelted ;,
rom the rock. Of course he developed o
he ind and opened up the famous FL :,
aJo VEN, which is still working on . !,
cry large scale, and which has turned h
IL many millions of dollars in gold and =
lver 1t is well authenticated that the !,
me produced million dollars per an
nm for number of years. 9
Such stories as this are common in all .
lning countries. If told to pass awav 9
Idle hour they serve as an innocuous =
nusement Often, however, the warns n
e used to bait prospectus trap or in +
e case OF legendary '1ost" mines thew I,
use great loss of valuable effort in .
tempts to redisco7er them. We pre- q
me that hardly year goes by with d
t some party attempting to find the
bulous Gunsight, Lost Squaw, or Lost a
Lbln mines In shito &C a;,.......--4 -. =