Douglas Island news., 1904-05-25
The Discovery of Mines.

WlIuOuJ tue udIuluOOO, NhS GVNSLiU1A F ous spirit that goes to make up TO mantle disposition, most of the miner al wealth of the world would be still hidden in savage fastnesses.
 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 pio- neer and prospector is similar to that evinced by the soldier or the sailor, who surely do not take up their pro- fessions because of monetary consider ations. As one who has foregathered with all these classes of men, we rec ognize similarity of instinct and characteristics in their natures. They all have the reckless courage, born of fatalism; they are all more or less su- perstitious, 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- sentisI to the scientists mentality. We have been told lately that "finan- cier is only pawnbroker with an imag- nation" That miners have this gift of imagination needs no demonstration to those who have camped with them and have listened to their free, untrammel- ed flow of ideas. Then, too, can we not claim the immortal Baron Nun chausen as an honored member of our craft?
 This gift of imagination is not nec- essarily concentrated into the purpose of work. It has lighter and more fan ciful side. Half, or more than half, the traditions of lost mines or of the dis covery of famous mines are pure i'm aginings, invented to pass an idle hour. For instance, some of our readers may hove heard of 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 recuperating at Phoenix, Ar izona, hotel. We knew them well and knew that the whole story originated in joke on callow newspaper report CT. The fine jovial fellows have crossed the range, but the story still survives and it would not surprise us if an act i've search should be instituted for the "lost Dead Dog" mine
 The romantic side of mining has a perennial interest for the general as well as the mining reader. Possibly no more widely copied item ever appeared in Mining Reporter than a column ar, ticle on the traditions relating to the adventitious discoveries of some fa- nous mines. To those stories may be added the legendary discovery of the Fl Tajo mine in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico. The story told us around camp fire on the crests of the Sierra Madre Occidental was so circumstan- tial that it might possibly be true. On stormy night in August, 1865, be- lated peon by the name of Leon Rojas had the misfortune to catch his rosary on bush or rock, scattering the beads on the ground. Unwilling to lose the sacred beads, and being unable to see them on account of darkness, the peon made fire and stayed by the spot all night. In the morning he found, to his amazement, that where bis fire had been, was solid plate of silver that had been smelted from the rock. Of course be developed the find and open ed up the famous Fl Tajo vein, which is still working on a very large scale, and which has turned out many mil- lions of dollars in gold and silver. It is we'll authenticated that the mine pro- duced million dollars per annum for number of years.
 Such stories as this are common in all mining countries. If told to pass away an idle hour they serve as an in- nocuous amusement. Often, however, the yarns are used to bait prospectus trap or in the case of legendary Host" mines they cause a great loss of valua- ble effort iu attempts to rediscover them. We presume that hardly year goes by without some party attempting to find the fabulous Gunsight, Lost Snnaw or Lost Cabin mines. In spite