The Owyhee nugget. ([Silver City], Idaho) 1905-1984, 1907-09-20
Nj L n i NC
IN OWYHEE COUNTY
The ". S. Smelling
and Mining Company
AN EXPOSE.


Nugget has frequently received letters
from New England people during the
past few months, making inquiries re-
garding the status of the U. s. Smelling
and Mining company, claiming to own
mines aud reduction works "eight miles
southwest of Silver City" To some Of
these we have replied, but as the num-
Der of inquiries continues to increase
and as the statements in the company's
pTospectuses, though very misleading,
extravagant and altogether uniruthful,
that we have decided. once for all, to
tell what we can or have learned re-
specting the property on which the
company is trying to sell stock in the
east
The property consists Of the old Hem
rietta mine and the old Henrietta mill,
the latter built on Jordan Creek, about
one and one half miles below DeLamar,
probably more than so years ago, and
now ancient and out OF date, not being
used for good many years. The mine,
now patented ground, is located up a
gnch about three-fourths of mile
south of the mill has. small super
animated shaft house upon it and a
shaft sunk about 300 feet.
The mine is one which many people
here believe to have merit. Operations
we're first begun on it by New York
people good deal more than 30 years
ago, and the stock market was then ex-
plotted with such extravagant and mis-
leading statements, intended for circu
lation in the east. that the promoters
paid parties 81, 900 hush monev to keep
from being exposed
This company, the Henrietta, ran its
career and "petered" out more than 20
years ago. Then the property fell into
the hands of Boston parties Of pretty
much the same stripe, who organized as
the Proustite company and operated it
for brief period without success.
After this, one G. o. Norcross, in the
interest of the Old Glory Gold Mining
company, with office at 50 Milk Street,
Boston, which was exploiting several
properties in Boise county, on none OF
which were his methods successful, got
hold of the property and worked on it
for couple of years, some 10 years
since, and then kept an old man, since
dead, in charge for some time, put an
other old man in charge, who is now in
the county poor-house, with claim
against Norcross for unpaid wages.
Now Norcross, representing that he
owns the property, several months ago
re-organized as the U. S. Smelling aud
Mining company with himself as secre-
tary and treasurer; H. w. French, pre-
sident, and a board of five directors,
among whom are the two men named,
and Q. L. Norcross, reported to be the
wife of G o. Norcross, and two others,
who we surlnise are of the same ilk
The prospectus which they have pub
l;shed and the statements the company
is circulating tell that there is "a million
dollars worth of ore on the dump ready
to mill, and upwards of forty million
dollars worth blocked out" aud deals
with prospective profits in millions only.
OF all the extravagant mining "litera-
ture" we have ever seen published, the
statements this company makes, cap
them all.
One lady in Massachusetts writes us
that she was approached by sancti-
monious and benevolent looking man, ,
who solicited her to invest in this stock,
and she remarked that with such a