The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1911-02-24
There are many other peculiarities

1 There are many other peculiarities
but space will not permit a recital of
all OF the different computations
which go to make the grand variety
which compose themineral kingdom,
even If was able, and | pretend not
to any such transendent knowledge
Let 1t suffice that in one combina-
| ton or another, We have, we believe,
veins and bodies and beds, contain
| ing every mineral that is known, and
some which have not yet received a
name We have veins vertical and
veins flat, and veins which strike in
every conceivable direction, and de-
scend into the earth at every con-
ceivable angle Of dip. We have sill
icates and carbonates, sulphides and
teilurides, graphite and malchite, and
best OF all we have the FOOLS wis
dom, the rich mans pride, and the
poor mans friend, gold.
In the memoirs Of old Napoleon,
his character was described as
grand, gloomy and peculiar, and
this expression may be fittingly ap-
piled to the circumstances and con-
ditions which have so lond obtained
in matters pertaining to mines and
mining in Custer county. With a
healthy climate, bright skies, pure
water, rich land, and mountains
stripped with veins, carrying not only
gold, silver and copper, but nearly
every other mineral known to science
to gether with scenery Of surprising
beauty, may fully justify the saying
that it is grand"
But a "chain Is no stronger than
its weakest link" and in all the years
Of the past We have been constantly
set back by the giving way of our
chief link, and our chief hindrances
have been the lack of public spirit
and concert of action among our own
people.
This mistaken idea of trying to ex-
tract the gold from our refractory
ores by the free milling process is
another weak link. The mistake
made by the assayers who imagined
they could save the gold from our
ore containing tellurium and bismuth
by the common fire assay, has been
another source of weakness, and has
perhaps more than all else prevented
our best mines from receiving the
recognition due to their merits as
proved by chemical analysis.
These causes coupled with the fur
TIER fact that those who have organ
lied companies to operate some of
particular mine in our district, have
in most every instance placed them
in charge of some man who from
lack of experience was incompetent
Their many mistakes have often end
ed in failure. discouraged the capital
lists, and the mine owners alike, and
have seemingly conspired to throw
a wet blanket on our prospects, dam
pen our ardor, and render the mining
situation gloomy"
But constant dripping will in
time wear away rock and we owe
it to the perseverance and energy of
a few men, whose patience and con-
fidence in their own judgment has
| redeemed the times. These men in
most cases had mined in other camps
and knew the indications which mark
a paying mine. Having confidence in
their own judgment they never fall
tered. Toll, hardship and hunger,
could not turn them from their pur-
popose. Through all the years they
| have battled against what seemed to
be the rigors of adverse fate, and
met it with an unceasing determine
ton to labor and to wait" The re-
suit has been that there are many
mines now in the Southern Hills that
have reached sufficient depth to
demonstrate that the veins are not
only of grade to pay out but that
they are large, continuous and per-
manent. This has had the effect to
stimulate capital to take hold and
now there are quite a number of
shafts which have been sunk from
100 to 800 feet in depth. Our mines
are growing more and more in favor
and prospecting has received new
impetus. Many old abandoned shafts
have been reopened, and are now
yielding character of ore which
mark them as bonanas. This may
we'll be termed peculiar"
1t Is probably true that so far as
placer mining is concerned. that the