The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
B|G FUTURE FOR
 CALIFORNIA LODE MOrphy Discusses Gold Mining
 Operations Planned TO BE ON IMMENSE SCALE President of Consolidated Company Is Here to Meet Birmingham capi-
 tasts Who Are Interested
 In the Developments.
TO BE ON IMMENSE SCALE

w. J. Morphy, president of the Cali fornia Consolidated Mines company, which has acquired extensive gold properties in California. is at the New Morris hotel. where he is meeting Birmingham citizens who are interested
 Mir. Morphy is posted on the mineral re- sources of the Pacific coast and quite will ing to explain the plans of the great cor poration of which he Is the head. Asked why the state of California should be con sdered a desirable field for the invest ment of capital in gold mining. he said:
 Since the discovery of gold in Cali fornia the state has produced of that metal a total exceeding S1 1,50O, ,0OO,OOO, or an annual average for 60 years of over $2S 100000 This is a record which far outstrips that of any other state in the union.
 California has well earned her title of the Golden State as this record shows, and it is not surprising that the confidence of capital has never been shaken in an industry that has not only made million aires of hundreds of individuals, but formed the basis of the financial system of the United States and stimulated trade and industry all over the world
 Tn the earlier history of gold mining in California the main portion of the precious metal was procured from the placers, or surface washings, in gulches, canyons and river bars, and for many years an enormous yield was maintained from these sources> Gradually, however, as was to be expected the area avail able for this kind of mining was mar rowed as ground was worked out, and then attention was turned to other sources of gold supply.
 Tt Is the lode mines of California, which are now producing the gold, and yet the quartz gold deposits continuously ribbing the state from its northern to It's southern boundary may be said to have been hardly prospected; indeed mining is still in it's infancy, and the scientific meth ods now being adopted by the larger cor porations will stimulate production to an extent never heretofore thought possible.
 'In California, which is different from most other mining states, we have two classes of mines. those with small lodges of high-grade ore; the second, those with 1 large lodges of lowgrade ore. High grade ores are those yielding from s15 to $aO per ton. Low-grade ores run from $3 to $10 per ton in gold.
 "The Mother Lode of California is known the world over as the largest de- posit of low-grade ore so far discovered
 not excepting the Rand district in South Africa and careful investigation will re- veal to an intelligent investigator that there are here opportunities for profitable l investment, which cannot be appalled, in any other section of the globe. On the l Mother Lode 1t is now simply a manu- | featuring proposition, the results attained being limited only by the amount of cap l ital and skill invested in the business. l The day of slipshod methods and out l of-date equipment is passed in California, and operations hereafter will be under taken under the management of experts 1 and on a scale of magnitude commen- surate with the enormous ore bodies avail able for treatment.
 Tt should be borne in mind that in | California gold mining has absolutely l none of the characteristics of stock gam- | bling. Of all the gold mines now being | operated in California, hardly one is | called at the mining stock exchange in I San Francisco. Of course, shares of | stock in the incorporated companies are 1 bought and sold, but there is no un- healthy speculation in mining securities or l booming of wildcat stocks.
 Many millions of dollars are needed to equip with adequate machinery the going 1 developed mines of the state, and for l this large returns in dividends can be de- pended on for many decades to come. "Condltions on the Mother Lode are now exceedingly favorable for the invest ment of capital, owing to the great inn provement in methods of treatment and the enormous development of electric | power in that section. Ores that a few years ago were considered as worthless l can today be treated at a handsome profit, and the vast possibilities of the mining in- dustry in that section can hardly be realized by those who have not kept in | touch with recent developments.
 "The properties in which we are inter- ested embrace a continuous stretch of over two miles on the Mother Lode in Amador county, and have over 6,C00,o00 tons of ore actually in sight and ready for treatment. These mines were formerly owned by six separate corporations and have a record of production exceeding S2O,OO0,O00. They are being consolidated under one management for the purpose of effeeting economies in operation and equipping them on a large scale with modern machinery and electric power. When the plans have been executed the plant and output of these properties should exceed that of any other in this country
 MT Morphy expressed great surprise at the busy aspect of Birmingham and it's wonderful growth since his last visit, some 12 years ago. He compared the vast iron and coal deposits of this district with the inexhaustible mines of the Mother Lode, and said that the mineral resources of the United States, whether iron or gold, form the safest foundation for the fabric of prosperity.
 Cholera In St. Petersburg.
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