The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-25
FREQUENT CAUSE OF
FAILURE IN MINING
Owners Expend Big Fortunes
Where Geological Condition
Is Not Favorable.

One of the frequent causes of failure
in mining is that men Will cXpend 81
large amount of money in the develop
mcnt OF properties i'll sections where the
OF ore In paying quantity is Il physical
and geological impossibilty. says the
Mining Review. IL is often the case
that the prospector Is but ~ poor gcoio- =
Gist. and that he will lay great stress
upon the discovery OF strong indications
OF the existence OF ore, or upon the
feet that he has found mineral In knife
blade seams, or pieces of rich float that
are good 10 look upon Indeed, so en-
thusiastlc will he become over such dis
coveries that he will make his camp near
the new find and do a large amount OF
work In the effort TO open up a paying
mine.
Throughout the West one will find
abandoned prospect holes and hllsldcs
that are fairly covered with dumps
abandoned because continued effort had
failed TO diVulge the ore body that over
gical knowledge predicted. Such failure
does not In the least reflect upon the
honesty and Integrity OF the prospector
and claim owner. but merely shows poor
judgment and lack of geological lnowl-
edge
one may laugh at the expert as much
as lie pleases, but tho fact remains that
the mining man who has had expert
cnce would never have expended IL dol
lar in Ihe development of n prospect
IN localities where the existence of
mpossibIlity. This shows, conclusively
that before one begins extensive develop
ment work he should secure tho opinion
OF some well established authority as to
The mineral possibilities Of n region I'm
which lie proposes to operate. Such a
course would undoubtedly save money in
The end. and much grief
sun, it Will not do to condemn any
section on general principles, until the
fact Is fully established that IT Is good
mineral bearing or otherwise; as OF late
Of Nn
astonished the mining world With nu-
merous bonanza propositions which. here
'ofore, have been regarded by the gen
eral public as being without merit and
not worthy Of investigation. A section
so blackllsted. as II were, may be neg
lected and unprospected for years, or
until the advent OF some rendcrfoot
whose discoveries Will cause the widest
excitement, and Il stampede equal To that
which characterized the discovery Of To.
nopah GoIdhcld. and many of the now
ore is where you find it," but the truth
remains that ore will never he found
In paying quantities, In sections where
geological conditions are such that 1t can
Some practice and experience is neces-
sary with the prospeetor before he can
draw the dividing line between a poss-
bly, productive and really nonproductive
region; and yet no one, If he has hopes
OF being successful in his prospecting
expeditions. must allow himself 10 he
guided by preconCeived or dried and
cut" Ideas as 10 the existence Of miner
ais. Should he fall into rut he Is liable
10 pass over many really great mines.
as there arc so many formations In
ditlons favorable TO ore deposits that un-
less the prospector is ever on the watch
and willing TO investigate every indlca-
ton of the possible presence of ore oc-
he Is liable TO end the season
Of his outing with but few good mining
loca lions to his credit.