The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-06-22
Isl. Louis Globe-Democrat.J


In the development of the mining dis
tricts of the west there has been al
ways a good supply of suckers, and
the sale of sailed mines has been the
result That there is "a sucker born
every minute" is recognized by the
mining shark, and il is probable thal
in the new mining camps of Nevada
the sale of sailed prospects goes mer-
rily on.
For those to whom the term is new,
it may be said that sailing IS the
process of making worthless mine OF
prospect. appear valuable TO the pros
pective buyer
In the early days of the California
placer mines, when the gravel was
washed in the open and the product
was virgin gold, mine sailing was in
its glory.
One of the most successful methods
of sailing placer mine was the
broadcast method. In carrying out this
scheme the owner or his agent comes
to the mine in the small hours OF the
night and soWs several thousand dol
lars worth of gold dust in the gravel
he expects to wash the next day The
buyer is around every day seeing
things with his own eyes, and when
ne sees a cleanup of several thousand
dollars every day for a week or two
he is convinced. and the deal is made.
IL will take him just two days TO nnd
out that he has been sailed. and that
the daily cleanup was practically all
the gold there is in the claim. In the
meantime the former owner has plenty
of time to make good getaway 10
pastures new.
The shotgun method of sailing a
placer. mine is the favOrite method of
{ 8 cfn II in
use at present, and it is likely that its
use has been greatly Overrated. How
ever, there was one case in which II
was used with good results to all par
/ ties concerned.
Two Englishmen were working a
placer mine in California. They had
washed the gravel until they could get
no more gold, and were preparing Ia
abandon their claim when they heard
of two Cinnamon who were looking Tor
/ a mine. They saw the Cinnamon. and
arranged 10 go out and look at the
mine. They did not have time to re-
/ turn to the mine, so decided on a move
/ plan of sailing.
/ They had killed a rattlesnake the
| evening before and had thrown 1t into
/ the cut. They loaded shotgun witt
gold dust, and when they went out tC
| the mine one of the Englishmen KEEP
a little ahead Of the others. When ht
arrived at the cut he let out war
whoop and fired both barrels into thu
snake, filling the gravel with gold dust
| The scheme worked TO perfection.
The Cinnamon were suspicious an'
insisted on taking their own samples
| They took samples in several places
banned the gravel and were very mucl
pleased with the result They Offered
the Englishmen $500 for it, and afte
a little haggling the deal was closed.
The Cinnamon went to work the mex
Iday, and their first months work net
ted them about 5000. Another day
work and the Englishmen would hav'
struck it,
But even the sucker becomes wise II
time. Buyers now insist on takini
their own samples. They insist ol
drilling holes and blasting out the or
and picking their samples out or IN
ore they have mined themselves. Blu
in spite of all these precautions the,
are often sailed.
Sometimes the face and sides OF IN
drift are drilled with a very fine drill