The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-10-22
MINING NOT GENERAL
GAMBLE, AS THOUGHT
No More Legitimate Business
if Operators and Investors
Exercise Wisdom.

Nine-tenths Of the American people
look upon mining as gamble. with
large profits where rrlzeS are drawn
and blanks for the average investor.
The conviction IS erroneous. The busl-
ness of mining as carried on by proIes-
slonal mining operators. namely, men
of adapta bility TO tho calling, and with
either technical OF practical experience,
is as certain and sure an avocation and
infinitely more profitable, than any
other business or profession. The reason
for many mining failures is found IN
the fact that many inexperienced per
sons attempt the duties of a profession
which is one of the most technical and
exacting OF any Of the pursuits of man.
The real mining operators seldom make
failures. They have learned that there
are two essentials to success IN mining.
First, TO be sure that the conditions for
a mine exist, and. second, to conduct
development according to proper mlnin g
methods, says the Nevada Mining In
vestor.
The novice, enthused by an ore show.
ing. has no real conception Of the actual
values or worthlessness of his property,
He seldom employs an expert to ap-
praise its mining value, and his eXper-
iepce is sure TO be costly to himself and
friends. While professional mining en-
gineers are wrong sometimes In their
estimate of property, the percentage
of failures due to their mistakes IS a
negligible quantity as compared with
failures due to the errors of the inex-
perienced
Each profession calls for certain quail,
ties of mind and certain technical
training into its mysteries. Not every
intelligent man may become success.
ful merchant, banker or lawyer. The
profession of mining is perhaps more
exactlng IN its requirements than any
other, The capacity to become great
merchant or lawyer is inherently g gift
from nature. Few intelligent men have
the temerity 10 believe that they can
enter these avocations without training
and succeed. But III mining the aver
age man believes that he possesses all
the requirements at once to epter full
fedged into the successful selection and
conduct OF mining property. In pro
portion to his inexperlence does he pro-
ceed independent of competent advice.
The result in all ordinary cases is fore
gone, and the failure adds another
group to the many who look upon min
ing as gamble.
Given a man with the essential mon.
tai characteristics which go with the
profession and who is educated by ex
perience, and he will succeed in bus
mining ventures as surely as the real
banker will succeed in a new banking
venture or a real merchant in a new
store, 1t is fortunate today in Nevada
that the value of the service of the
trained mining engineer is widely recog
mixed. Few of the important mines
and prospects are now being developed
except upon comments BILE mining lines
While the wild-catter Is present (al-
though less than formerly and the no.
vice is paying his price 10 Folly the
great nu mber of Nevada properties are
now efficiently managed and many, be-
sides the already proven ones, have the
reasonable earmarks of ventures, ap,
pointed 10 succeed.