Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1911-10-05
The Prospector
and His Burro

From the Salt Lake Mining Review
you seem to be well-satisfied with
this locality" said the prospector to
his, hitths with the little grassy patch
below the; spring near which we are
now camping, and you have intimated
to me, two or three times, that you
would like spend few months in this
neighborhood, where there are plenty
of big cedars for shade, with now and
then tall pine tree scattered about,
giving excellent scenic effect; while, as
a clincher, you have called my atten-
ton to the fact that the country is cut
up, in every direction, with flssures,
veins and strong lodges, and huge
groupings; which all goes to shqw that
even burro can get few ideas tangl-
ed up with his grey matter after being
out in the hills for few years, even
if the buzzing of the roulette wheel is
sweeter music to his ears than the chug
chug of machine drills; for burro, on
general principles, feels more at ease
sorting over the waste heap at the rear
of thirst parlor than he is when the
prospector throws the diamond hitch
over his well-loaded pack saddle.
j, "Still, l feel as if ypy had assimilat-
ed little mining lore, yotr wander
ings with me, and am not very much
surprised at the remarks you have
made regarding that promising-look-
ing prospect over on the next divide,
where the out-crop is of tremendous
size, and where a little work. should
open up large body of splendid ship
ping ore. The same remarks have
been made by numerous mining men,
and local operators have been trying to
discover why such promising property
should remain idle for so long time
when it is plainly evident that it is the
making of a bonanza. AS it happens
know the history of this property
and now that we have finished supper
and my pipe is in active eruption like {
one-horse blast furnace, will give you
the inside facts regarding this property
and the company which was formed tt
take it over. 49,.
This mine was found several year
ago. continued the prospector, "by al
old man who had been out in the hill
so long that for years he has been al
.: luded to as the hermit and what h
didn't know about 'frenzied finance
IF''would fill book as large as Webster
unorganized dictionary. AS matte
of fact, he still held to the belief tina
most men were honest. and that mir
ing operations were confined to tn
mountains. while he knew absolutel
nothing about milking the public, ar
less about the methods Of mining con
panies who promised dividends with
two months and who mine in the new
papers to the neglect of their properti
and at the expense of confiding stocl
buyers. This old hermit, John Site
well, by name, discovered the mil
just over the divide from our cam
several years ago. At the very gras
roots he found pay ore, and the We
was three feet in width between we
defined walls. The quartz was we
sprinkled with native gold, and Site
well had fortune in his own hanc
had he only realized the fact. AS
was, he made one or two small sh
ments which brought him few tho
sand dollars. And this was his undoi
for he went to the city to receive s.
Elements on his consignment This W
his first visit to the metropolis
twenty years, and he, nearly broke
neck looking up to ire tops of the 81
scrappers. He came very near be-
run in, two or three times, as no
and was kept Lusy getting out of
choo-choo wagons. Oh, he was mig
lily impressed, and half-belieyed he
died and been transplanted into a r
and gorgeous world. Finally. he I
with nice, genteel gentlemen, one
the suavey kind who only needed wi
to be a real angel. The friendship
spang up between the two was t,
touching. They became real intim'
as it were, and Stickwell gladly
the bait when it. was proposed to
ganize company for the operatio