New-York tribune., 1909-05-28
COBALT OUTPUT GROWS
Mecca for Mining Men from Al
Parts of the World.

Cobalt. Ont, May E.-It is an interesting fact
that in al the railway construction in the Western
states. the miles Of tunnelling and hundreds of
niles Of rock cuttings. not single mineral dis
cove-y Of any consequence was made as direct
result Of railway construction OF course the ad-
vent Of the railway made the mineral regions ac-
cess!be. The railroad blazed the trail but so far
as know the railway builders failed utterly 10
strike pay dirt
Quite the reverse Of this is true of Canadian
Railway construction The choppers on the Cana
dian Pacific discovered the famous nickel mines at
sudbury. probably the greatest in the world. The
builders Of the TemislEaming & Northern Ontario
uncovered Cobalt. To he sure. their discovery was
not the first find, but II the discovery which
made Cobalt famous. and the property which the
railway constructors opened remains one of the
most valuable in this really remarkable region. To
20 step further. it has just been announced that
The contractors the TranscontinentaI Railway.
still north Of Cobalt have cut copper vein OF
great value. What these builders may find before
they reach the prairie provinces and what they
nav discover in the last thousand miles Of wilder
ness Edmonton 10 Prince Rupert, remains TO be
seen. But 10 return to Cobalt
Half dozen OF the early discoveries Of Cobalt
gave such promise that almost before the world
became aware Of the existence of mining
region the country was capitalized at hundreds OF
millions. Naturally many Of these companies failed
70 realize and much of the stock worthless,
but as development work went many new
and rich properties opened that, notwith-
sanding the extensive stalking and vast issue of
capi1al stock faith in Cobalt grew stronger as the
years went By.
Mining experts were slow believe the story Of
Cobalt Men who had mined around the world de-
olared the first few finds merely freaks Valuable
ore was be found in this OF in that forma-
non because it did not occur in this formation.
Because II had not occurred in any other camp in
similar rock the scientists reckoned that it could
not here. but they have been obliged 70
-Ssa estimate has occurred
Cobalt and It keeps occurring, where. according
70 the experts. II ought be The plain
scientific prospector did not question why. When
be found the pay streak he quarried It. and made
the rough surface cuts pay for sinking. and when
he could afford II he employed a mining engineer
and began mine. At the age of six years Cobalt
commands attention IN the mining world Mining
men and engineers from every country to be
rnet at Cobalt and almost without exception while
admitting the fact that Cobalt Camp is unique they
agree that II is of the notable silver mining
regions The simple story OF the discovery, the
legal battles and The final triumph of the poor
prospecJors whose names are connected with some
Of the mines OF this northern wilderness would read
like romance. The penniess prospector of yester-
dav is living at the King Edward Toronto to-day,
and tomorrow he will sit in his expensive office,
surrounded by a company reminding one Of a group
OF stars in a beauty show. To its various
bers he dictates letters which sound strangely 20
his own ears. and signs checks in unexpected fig
ures. All this and more is possible 10 him by rea-
son Of his good fortune in the Businesses Of New
Ontario.
. The average cost Of producing dollar from the
Cobalt mines is 10 cents. Here in many Of the
working mines see the pay streak stripped
bare for hundreds OF feet with almost millions Of
dollars worth Of in sight. Although Hudson's
Bay post stood Cobalt for half a century or
more. and the hunters, trappers and coureurs du
bois tramped over these open veins actually
posed 10 the sun, snow and rain, they to-day
finding rich mines all about When the train
stops Cobalt you have TO step carefully avoid
Stepping one. for the platform is literally
hidden by men. with only here and there woman.
The hotels and Hobbies equally crowded but
in spite OF this collection Of from the four
winds Cobalt is a quiet and orderly camp. Not one
Of the hotels IS allowed sell liquor. and there
gambling in the open. True, you will bump against
e drunken man occasionally, because mining and
red liquor seem always 10 hand in hand. The
city itself built upon mining properties Some
Gay II will all be followed out, and guests in the