The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1913-06-12

the manager and the foreman. feelin,
your way, and getting your bearings
A false start may prejudice your pc.
sition and lead to needless compiled
tons. Above all, make friends with
the foreman of the mine, give him
your cigars: give him credit for his
good work underground; humor him
He can expedite your examination in
dozen ways for he must necessarily
possess an intimate knowledge of the
mine. Get him to talk about It, You
need not believe all he says. you can
test his statements by your own OBJ
servation. but don't show distrusts OBJ
vious lack of confidence will either
make him an enemy or drive him to
circumstantial lying The average
foreman is good sensible fellow:
many time have I received hints
from him that were worth hundred
samples, The proper study of man
kind is man; the examination of a
mine involves the examination of men.
Be inquisitive, but not suspicious
write over your notebook "Caveat
emptor," and go ahead
Before laying down any plan of sam
pling. go underground. Get an idea of
the mine and its workings. In the
evening study the maps. Next day a
second visit underground will indicate
whether the bottom of the mine looks
healthy. whether the ends of levels
are in ore, whether the ore shoots are
numerous and small or few In num-
certain whether the Slopes are extern
siNe; whether they have been carried
far above the levels, and whether they
are so timbered as to facilitate SAM
ping. Thus you obtain fairly dein-
lite impressions of the character of the
mine. Adapt your method of sampling
accordingly.
shall not go into the details of sam
ping. That is another story. few
hints must suffice. Avoid sampling
mine without a trustworthy assistant
The obtaining of reliable results will
depend more upon the accuracy of the
individual samples than upon the null
tiplicity Of them Time is money; both
are valuable to the engineer. Remem-
Der that the ore will be removed by
drilling and blasting, not by the meth
I'd used in sampling.
As to Sailing.
Time prevents me from saying much
Sailing" that Is, the tam
pering with samples. Such trickery is
rare, but you must be on your guard
against it. One of the simplest pre-
cautions is to fill one or two sacks
With waste rock, SO that il all of the
samples are doctored, the deed will
,e detected. Another scheme is to
III some sacks with ore of known me-
allie contents. For this reason do not |
abel your sacks outside, Another /
Useful check is to break lump samples I
If representative ore and assay them |
separately. having brushed or even
washed them to be sure they are clean I
It the close of every big mine sam I
,ling, the engineer with his most trust
assistant should go through /
he mine and break number of CHECK
amples, which should be reduced and
Lssayed separately from all the other
amples.
So. YOU have completed the samp-
&c IN a
nd are now ready to appraise the
nine. This is where real trouble be-
,ins. To take a .simile: You are
Musician about to diagnose the condl-
ion of patient. You have taken MS
Mise: YOU have measured his temper
tire with a clinical thermometer. You
ave watched his symptoms. Can you
iagnose the trouble; and, what Is
much more, can you give prognosls
r forecast of the disease with which
q is afflicted. | confess that many
f our energetic samplers and fussy
ssavers seem to me no better than
,rses who record the temperature
nd mise of patient. without the
lightest ability to diagnose his real
ondition. Sampling is means to an
nd. It is not the end itself 1t Is only
he evidence. not the verdict; it Is am
,,nition. not aim To hit the bulTs-
We of correct appraisal. of an APP
ra isal that will look like true pre-
ict;op five or ten years hence. IL "
ecessary besides sampling. to ascer-
ain the size of the ore bodies, the To-
al cost of exploitation, the percentage
+ recovery. and then having calculat-
Il the nrof1t to be extracted, 1t remains
or the engineer to infer therefrom the
resent value of the mine. TO 90 thls
three factors are urgently
The first of these Is 1udg-
,ent. the second Is judgment ana the
bird is Judgment. This Is neither III
erjted nor purchased. it comes neither
rom the forefather nor the university
is the browning quality OF the genus
ONO and the species sapiens.
Selling Better Than Buying :
More money is made in selling than
buying mines; which is the same
hing as SAYING that most mines are
YER valued. A mine is not necesHar-
" worth the net profit assured; per
ontra. a mine may be worth a dozen
imes the value of the ore exposed III