Weekly journal-miner., 1909-02-17
sYLvANITE REACHES SECOND
 STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT

DOUGLAS, Feb. 9.-Sylvanite, from the mining mans point of view, is en- tering upon the second stage of its ex- istence. That of the installation of machinery and the commencement of regular production.
 The first stage in the life of Syl- vanite was attended with many trou- bles.
 While a few favorable reports were made on the camp, only one or two were publicly issued while an unusual ly large number of unfavorable re- ports appeared in the public press ana great prominence was given to a dis pute among assayers and mineralogists as to whether the telluride of gold found there was sylvanite or not, and the public was led to infer that it was really doubtful if there was any gold at all. Then came the assaying trouble. Some assayers to whom the ores were sent failed to Aux them prop erly and consequently did not recover the full gold values. Added to these was the inability of the men, then in the camp, to open up their mines through lack of means. It has been said that "Poverty is no crime, but it is d-d ineonvenient. But in this case it would have been a crime against American if through poverty the wealth of Sylvanite's gold had been left in the earth instead of add ing to the prosperity of the United States. But happily this was not to be. The pioneers of Sylvanite smiled as they heard the adverse criticisms on a camp in which they had such i'm plicit faith and which they knew must eventually disprove the false state ments of the detractors. In a small way as far as their limited means per mitted, the ore on the surface on the Broken Jug, Makeup Charlie, Golden Eagle, Clemmie, Ridgewood and Ned erland was opened up. These and a few other prospects and the multitude of splendid surface showings have eonquired all adverse reports and the camp is coming to the front with giant strides. And what a wonderful camp it must be. In three short months, it has lived down a storm of adverse crit icism with hardly the aid of disin- terested friend. It has won by sheer merit. The greatest victory of all. No army of boosters, no chain of newspapers to boom it like the south ern Nevada camps. Merit alone has brought Sylvanite to the front and this gives the camp greater value than if an army of boosters had been hired to boom it. Now it is entering into the second stage of its existence. The Gold Hill, Consolidated and Nedderland mines arr now nreparing to install machinery for operating com pressed air drills, indicating that their owners. Colorado mining men, are sat isfed that the properties have passed out of the prospect stage and are mines. Ore bins are being built at there properties and preparations are being made to commence shipments and maintain them regularly. This can only be done by operating machine drills for the rock in Sylvanite is hard and progress by hand drills is slow and expensive. Today tne compres- sor plants must be run by gasoline en- zines but already the question of con strueting an electric boyer plant at the nearest railway point and trans hitting the power to the Sylvanite mines is being seriously discussed and is likely to be an accomplished fact in the very near future. Capital for the purpose will be available just as soon as a reasonable demand for light and power is guaranteed. And it will be forthcoming. This is another tribute to the merit of the camp. Sylvanite should be designated and distinguished as 1.-the camp that was built on merit the greatest gold camp of the south west"
 
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