The Washington herald., 1911-01-29
BY JAMES b. MORROW.

ny n NOnUO"s
Shot at by thieves: attacked by revolu-
tionists: sentenced to death: fined $125. 900.
which he paid in cash. John Hays Ham,
mond-believed by some to be the greatest
mining engineer the world has ever
known-would. if put on paper. fill about
thirty smashing chapters, with a throb
or tremor on almost every page of print
ed matter
Partner of Cecil Rhodes. friend of Bar
ney Barnato. Rudyard Kipling. Rider Hag-
gard. President Taft. and Theodore Roose-
Welt and counselor to the mighty tribe
of Gugsenheim. he has gone up and down
the earth. and deep into the earth until
an interviewer like myself is so bewil-
begin or how.
And Hiram, King of Tyre. supplied
solomon with gold. according to all his
DESIRES Hammond found the mines, In
the land of Ophir. Moreover they are
being worked. Against that classic
achievement in engineering and adven-
ture. l put an incident occurring IN
Arizona-a mole-hill in contrast with a
mountain. as illustrative of the heights
and depths of an extraordinary career
and an exciting occupation.
''The camp at Globe was a new and
driving place." MIR. Hammond said We
were in his library. A hundred photo
graphs. with autographs. were on the
walls-Joseph Chamberlain's and Will
lam J. Bryan's, as / remember; also
kiplng's. with a long poem in micro
scopic penmanship. sent one Christmas
"A woman kept Il hotel under a tent.
All the hunks were engaged l had rid
den far and was tired. A wide shelf.
made of boards. was unoccupied. /
spread my blankets and took chance.
He'll kick you out when he comes
the woman said; he has paid a week in
advance
When he came at l O'Clock, he was
drunk and fierce. We compromised in
the dark / couldn't see his face In
the morning l gave him a cigar and a
drink from my flask. Two days later I
returned from a mine. 4 crowd was
centered in the street.
"A hanging bee.' some one said.
Il went over as they were cutting the
rope and taking the body down-the body
of the man I had slept with. the man
who had drunk from my flask. He was
a murderer and a robber, and had shot
and killed stage driver the night /
spread my blankets in his bunk
Spent His Youth at the Mines.
Having been graduated from Yale, go-
ing thence for three years to the Royal
School of Mines. at Freiburs, in SaNony,
Mr. Hammond returned to San Francisco,
his home and birthplace. His father
was educated at West Point and served
as a major during the Mexican war.
As a boy and n young man. Mr..
Hammond replied, in answer to n gUes-
tiOn. Il spent my vacations at the mines
The miners were loyal. game. and honest
men. They lived out of doors. If they
wearied of one place. they shouldered
treir shovels and picks and moved on
When / went TO Yale I meant to be a
miner myself, to live in the open. and
b. independent My father. forty |
miner argued for railroads. and obtained |
4 good position for me. which I refused. !
assayed ore for George Hearst. sweep |
nS out my office and making the fire. !
Then ] went into the Geological Survey. |
hat might get to see all the big mines !
Dn the Pacific Coast and try my hanl !
* composing government reports l eX-
imined a mine for other men. in which |
ny father had lost all the money he had
" If you had waited. | told him. until |
ny return from FreiburG | would have
advised YOU to let pockety mines alone
In mining" Mr.. Hammond continued.
it is very necessary that one should know !
when to stop. when to give somebody else
| chance. After taking 100000 from a
nine. it sometimes happens that COM
lany of men will spend $4,000, only to
earn that the ore is played out. 1t is
lard to let go of a worthless hole in the
ground. but it must be done.
where did YOU begin your first inn
Dortant work." | asked.
In Mexico far down the west coast. l
ode on horseback most OF the way. The
'epOrtS had been fine. Being young. l
hOught | saw a chance to distinguish
myself. But the reports We're wrong.
rhe mine was not good. ore thieves
ried to shoot me. Rcvolutionists at
cmpted to raid the property-we stood
hem off with guns. | had to do every
hing. San Francisco WAS three weeks
IF by wagon and railroad. After year
nd a half | quit. l think | WAS so
head. But had Harmed to be resource
ul. to build furnaces, to multiply two
" two and obtain a product of six. I
to California and was profess
ionally engaged throughout the Pacific
'oast region
Got Their Million Back.
You reopened several abandoned
lines?' ! said.
Yes. We bought the Bunker Hill and
ullivan mine in Idaho for s.. .0oO0OO and
OF our money back in a single extra
ividend. 1t became the greatest silver
nd lead mine in the world. / also re-
pened the Empire and North Star gold