The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-06-22
ODE ucker and
the S cited Mine

called a needle drill The holes thus
made are filled with a mixture OF quartz
sand, gold and plaster of Paris. When
the prospective buyer comes along he
is allowed to have his own way about
sampling the mine and gets the saited
sample.
Another seductive method which was
used in the Cripple Creek district is
the tin can method. In this the suck
er drills the holes and takes his own
samples from rock he has mined with
his own hand-but, alas. only to be
sailed. The innocent looking tin can
picked up on the dump and used 10 wa
ter the holes while drilling has been
generously 'dOped" with chloride Of
gold by the seller.
One Of the Crudest cases OF sailing
was perpetrated by an old negro on two
United States senators and banker.
These men had all had mining expert
ence, but they thought the negro too
ignorant to salt them.
One day a negro appeared at the
bank and asked to see the owner. He
was asked mis- business, and produced
an assay certificate showing an assay
OF several hundred ounces per ton sill
yer. He was usheTed into the back
room and a messenger dispatched 10
the assay office to verify the certlfi-
cate Ii was found TO be correct, so
the negro was held while the three cap
italists had a consultation. 1t was de-.
cided that one of them go out with
the negro and sample the prospect.
The negro was held until the next
day when he went out with the sena-
tor and sampled the mine The sam
pies assayed even better than the first
ones. The negro wanted $4,000 for the
mine. but they brought in lot OF gold
coin and stacked it up in front Of him,
and it looked so big that he took IT,.
There was $4,000 in gold in the pile.
He explained afterwards that he salt
ed the samples with chloride Of silver.
1t was in the hotel at the mining camp.
1t was late at night and he and the
senator were the only ones in the office.
The senator went out for a few min
utes, and while ne was gone the negro
opened the sacks and mixed in the chic
ride of silver which he had ready in
/ his pocket. When the senator returned
! he was asleep in his chair.
The negro went to Ohio and lived high
/ as long as his money lasted. Then he
/ telegTaphed to the banker that he was
/ broke and wanted TO come back west.
| The banker showed it to the senator
and asked. Shall we send for him?"
| Yes" answered the senator. Hes
| too smart a niger 10 be stopping back
/ there"
So he was brought back and given a
/ job as porter, and worked in that ca
pacity until his death a few years ago.
How is a man to avoid being salt
edT'
In the first place. there are only two
classes of people that have any bust
ness dealing I'm mines. They are the
men who have training and experience
and understand the business, and the
capitalist who can afford TO lose once
| in a while.
The way capitalists avoid being salt
ed is to employ competent mining enc
gineer and have him make a thorough
examination Of the property.
Another way is to get a lease and
option on the property. By this means
the property may be worked for a year
or six months before the purchase price
is paid. In that length of time the pros
pective buyer will have the opportuni-
ty OF testing all portions Of the mine b.
actual work.