Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1904-07-02

first and last.
This must be particularly watched
in a new camp to which men gravi-
tate from all parts OF the world. To-
the mar who does not understand it.
the position of superintendent Of a
mine has many attractions, his idea
Of his duties being limited to sitting
round and smoking. The writer can
mention companies which have as
superintendent men who in the past
were BARRIERS, cow-punchers, brake
men, politicians and God knows what.
They have been given the position
because they are good fellows or
married somebody's sister or are the
ne'er do well sons Of influential par
ents. Such men squander the funds
OF a company and ruin ensues no
matter how good the mine. One
form of prospectus should be carefully
put in the waste paper basket, viz:
that which contains testimonials on
the mine from all the local celebrities
much in the same way as a popular
pill. Such a one is now before the
writer, it contains letters from d boy
lawyer, a bank clerk, a political
ward heller, a storekeeper, and an
INDECENT surveyor, all of whom drifted
into the mining camp for the first.
time in their lives and none of whom
ever saw the property or would know
anything about it if they did. But
this promoting fakir has given them
stock, when for a proper fee he could
have printed the fearless opinion of
a practical experienced man; and yet
the property may be good. In every
camp that owns one or two good
mines the wildcat promoter enters
with the assurance that he will make
money. He must have something to
promote and for a few dollars obtains
a tract Of country and with the col
ossal impudence Of the practised liar
drags through his ground the veins
which are being successfully mined
probably two to four miles distant.
Those statements as to the ''trend of
-
the ledge require careful probing.
Even in a case where a vein NAV ex
ist on ground owned by a company
be wary OF assays-nearly every mine
will produce a piece OF ore no matter
how small which will yield high re
turns through the ~assayer's furnace,
and the willy promoter has a way Of
saying, give me some Of your best
ore and some specimens to take to
my office in New York, . little he
cares to know that assays a not be
marketed and that specimen rock
never constitutes a permanent pay
able mine. If the investor will but
exercise ordinary business caution
before entrusting his money into
other hands the opportunities for
Legitimate money making by mining
investments are greater than by any
other means. "A column Of this paper
1 could be filed with the names of sue.
cessful companies in parts Of the
world which for every dollar invested
have brought wealth to the share
holders, and il the investor is con
vinced that he has his money in a
good property under good manage
meut let him stay with it and reap
the reward.
The gold production Of the world
for 1903 was over 1927, DOC, 900, while
the dividends paid by gold, silver
and copper mines OF this country in
the same year exceeded the total sum
distributed by all the banks and rail-
road companies. The mineral indus
try and its possibilities is a subject
too vast and extensive to be exhaust
lively treated in a series of newspaper
articles, and the writer has but light
y touched upon some OF the features
Of an engrossing topic. The many
dangers which crop up in connection
with 1T are most ably set forth in
"Pitfalls Of Mining Finance" a
perusal Of which is strongly recon-