White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1911-06-18
INTERVIEW WITH
"BORAx' SMITH
FAMOUS wEsTERNER OPERATED
N NEVADA CAMPS DURING
THE EARLY DAYS INCLUDING
WHITE PINE COUNTY.

life as a man should VINO Is blessed
with good health, a charming wife.
beautiful children and great riches,
F. n. lBorax1 Smith spent Tuesday
In Salt Lake, the guest OF former L..
s. Senator Thomas Kearns, with
whom he Is associated in mining en-
terprises in Nevada. says the Tribune.
Mr.. Smith, who Is en- route from
his winter home in Oakland, Cal. to
his summer home at Shelter Island.
n. Y. Is travelling in his private car
"Houoli."
The "Borax king is a striking
combination of the qualities that
make up men who accomplish things.
He does not assume airs. yet there Is
something in his poise and walk to
attract the attention of the observer.
Retieent. but always good natured,
Mr.. Smith parried the first few ques-
tions of the reporter.
"Oh. / don't care to talk about my
self. or my rise from poverty, or my
LIES career" he said. Get some
one who knows me Il talk; my sec
Rotary might talk you TO death, or II
you must have a story. draw on your
Imagination"
But there was in the clear steady
blue gray eyes of the speaker a
CLEAN that said he was only joking,
and the newspaper man did not be-
come discouraged.
After he had lighted a big cigar.
Mr.. Smith leaned back in an easy
chair.
What a you say regarding your
mining investments in Nevada?"
Senator Kearns says ] am at the
head of the Halifax-Tonopah, so
guess / must be. ] am also president
of the West End Mining company.
another big concern operating in the
same locality"
How about the others?"
Vow, don't ask me about the
smaller companies: there are so
many of them thai cannot recall
their names"
Dir. Smith, who does not appear
to be more than A. years of age,
when questioned as to the period of
his business life, said:
4 first came west in 1867. | stop
ped in Utah. but Brigham Young told
me there were no mines here, so ]
went on TO Montana. | prospected
for one summer at Boulder Creek.
then went into Nevada, where in a
small way l operated at Austin,
White Pine and other camps. II was
in October. 1872, that | made the
first real strike al Teel's Marsh"
That was the borax?"
That was the borax. The twenty
mule team. of course. was really only
a trademark. but we did haul the
product $50 miles into Wadsworth,
the nearest railroad station. ] still
own the property. although We have
not done much there for the last
twenty years. as it is pretty well
worked out"
Then | went into Death Valley,
where we hive borax deposits OF a
higher grade. hat furnish 10 per cent
of the output of the United States.
Here we employ at the mines about
100 men and produce 10000 tons
yearly"
How do you regard your other
mining investments in Nevada"
IF they didn't look pretty good
We would not be putting money into
them"
What do you think of the gen.
eral financial and commercial out
Iook?"
Nov, don't talk finance to me.
] am not a Wall street man. You
must go there for expert opinions"
How about the social unrest?"
THE average man of today Is
better of then he was ten or twenty
years ago. The trouble is that the
desires and demands of the people
have gone ahead of their earning
capacity. The wage Garner OF to-
day has comforts and luxuries that
only belong to the rich of a genera
ton ago. Many wage earners, de-
pendent solely on their salaries, now
keep automobiles, and in passing a
shack in the Nevada desert only a
few days ago / heard the sound of a
piano. The people want more today.
That is the explanation
CALL OF GOLD REACHES AFFAIR.