The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1913-12-25
SMOOTH SCHEMES
TO SALT MINES
MANY CASES WHICH WERE sue
cEssFuLLY WoRkED-sALr.
ING IN MEXICO.
(G. l.. Sheldon In Engineering and
Mining JournaD

&c. L. Sheldon In Engineering ant
Mining JournaD
While the practice of mine sailing
is not as common as 1t was 20 years
or moro ago. It Is still occasionally
done. and in Mexico with particular
skill. One Of the most successful
large scale operations Of this nature
was perpetrated at Juneau, Alaska
about 20 years ago. The story was
told to me while on the trail in Mex
leo. by an engineer who had 1t from
one Of the schemers he befriended
when he was dying.
Sailed Mine Near juneau.
Three partners owned a ledge zoo
to 800 feet wide on an island near
Juneau. They had done great deal
Of work In tunnels, drifts and raises
but the ore was too low grade to make
the property OF any value. The own
ers, however, proceeded to work up a
sale on basis of a total price of
s45ooo0. rs per cent payment to be
made after examination.
The prospective buyers sent two
different corps Of engineers, one fol-
lowing tho other. One Of the owners
80, ~ 60 Wv, -osc~o
wor 81 i'.5o its good graces and as
sisted In the sampling. He was able
tn salt the samples so that they rep
resented value Of 81 per ton. The
second party was met by another Of
cessfullv worked The samples check
ed nicely.
S-r1,Ies Closely Guarded.
Wishing to make assurance doubly
sure the purchasers sent out a third
party, but the engineer In charge Of
this one would have nothing to do
with the owners and required them
to turn the mine over to him and
leave the island. He took two or three
tons of samples and the lot, in large
sacks, was brought to Juneau and
remained on the wharf for several
days while waiting for a San Francis
co boat, In charge Of Waterman
night and day.
While the samples were on the
wharf, three fellows dressed as trav-
elers or tourists, with their little dude
canes. strolling around would come tn
these seeks, ask the Waterman a lot
of foolish questions about them, and
all the time they would be stabbne
and punching the sacks with their
dude canes, which were loaded with
chloride Of gold. This was repeated
several times, each time changing the
disguise. It was so we'll done that ths
third engineers report was satisfactory
ana tho schemers received their frs,
payment. all that they expected.
Sailed With q Shotgun
About Is years ago a property or
Signal Hill. Cripple Creek. within less
than mile from the town was saltet
by using chloride Of gold in shotgun
shooting 1t into the breasts OF the
drifts ana bottom Of the shaft 1t wa:
50 well done that the swindlers receiv.
ed the first payment, amounting tc
$4,000.
In boom days Of a camp. 1t Is quite
common for prospect hole to be salt.
ed with rich ore from some other mine
It was generally worked off on the ten
derfoot. the practical mining man be.
Ing avoided. When chloride OF gold i:
used 1t can be easily washed off with
water. and most Of its efficiency de.
stroyed.
About Is years ago the Mulatos mine
In western Chihuahua Mexico, was
sailed for large operator Of Sar
Francisco. The mine Is large low
grade property, having 1O-stamp mil
on 1t.
The engineer and assistants repre-
senting the purchaser took out Their
own ore and ran It through the mill
made their own cleanup. with no help
except the old Mexican mill man, who
had always been on the property, and
who looked after the machinery and
oiled 1t.
Gold Dust Under Finger Nails.
!, The returns were satisfactory, the
owner went to San Francisco, receiv-
ed his first payment Of 100000, and
placing 1t in ono Of the banks there
proceeded to have good time. He
wrote and instructed his nephew ri
home. to pay the old mill man 10000
pesos. This seemed too much to the
nephew and he only gave the mill man
1000 pesos. This made the old man
mad; he went to the American In
charge Of the mine, who was doing de-
velopnent work, and told him how,
showing his hands, he had let his
thumb and finger nails grow out long.
and had filed under them, using wax
to hold 1t there. fine placer gold Every
time he went near the battery he
worked the gold out into 1t and thus
increased the values satisfactorily.
The American in charge immediate
ly notified the San Francisco purchas-
er. who obtained an Injunction. hold
ing the first payment In the bank.
eventually recovering 1t all except a
few thousand that had been joyfully
spent. The old Mexican mill man was
paid his 10000 pesos, and procured a
little home Of his own. living at sa-
huaripa. Sonora. Is years ago when
saw him there.