Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1904-06-25
CHoICE OF
The Position OF Mine Manager
is q Very Responsible One.

pIloc 10 uHC employment ny Lue OWH-
ers Of an inexperienced or dishonest
manager. The position OF mine man.
ager is a very responsible one, says
the Denver Mining Record, and re-
quires not only strict integrity, but
experience in mining and metallur-
gical operations, and good sound
business capacity and experience as
well. The manager should have q
knowledge OF the details Of the bust
Tess under his direction, though it is
not essential that he should take a
hand at mucking or tramming cars,
or even running a machine drill, but
he should know something Of all of
these things, and to have had actual
experience in these toilsome tasks is
not to his disadvantage.
An American engineer, who a few
years ago was unknown to fame, &C.
cepted a position as manager Of a
large mine in South Africa. The
salary attachment vas large-that
is, large for him-more than he had
ever received before for his services.
In accepting this position he dis
placed a European engineer who had
held the place at a salary far below
that paid the American engineer.
The new engineer made many changes
in and about the mine and works,
and for a time the company thought
they had imported an extravagant
luxury-an American engineer-but
the end OF the year showed that the
new manager had not not only ac-
eomplished all his predecessor had
been doing, but exceeded him, and
produced from ore Of the same grace
and tonnage as that formerly worked
a profit OF over $3.50, 900 in excess Of
that made by the former manager.
This was during the first year; the
following year he increased this ma
terially, and the stockholders realized
they had found a valuable man in
their manager. The secret OF the
whole business, II il is a secret, was
that the American engineer not only
had technical trainmg-his predeces.
sor also had that-but he had learned
much in the school of hard experience
in the frontier mining camps Of the
western United States. He was ac-
customed to encountering difficulties
and finding ways Of meeting and sue
cessfully overcoming them. He
seemed equal TO almost any emer-
gency.
In a general way it may be said
that OF such men as he are the mine
managers of the west made up. Some
have had more experience than
others, some have a greater faculty
for mastering obstacles than others,
but on the whole they are q class OF
men equal TO almost any occasion,
and who, If given an opportunity,
will distinguish themselves-ior there
is much in opportunity,
There are those managing mines il
the west, however, who represent a
different class. One OF these, in
charge of a property for an eastern
company, had a small prospect far
up on the mountain side. He de-
scribed the property and its pros.
pective merit in such glowing colors
that he nearly persuaded the direc-
tors to send him a large mill and
smelter, explaining that long before
the machinery could be placed in
position to operate he would have
developed through a tunnel over
1000 feet in length, sufficient ore to
keep the reduction plant in oper-
alton for several years. There were
some members Of the board, however,
whose natural business caution sug-
gested that the mine be examined by
some other engineer for corrobora.
tive testimony. This was finally de.
cided upon, and the engineer reported
no ore in sight, and that the proposed
tunnel could not be completed within
fourteen months, and would probably