The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-03-12
SENATOR CLARK TELLS
OF HIS FIRST MINING
WORKED ON WiNDLAsS FOR $3.50
PER DAY-FIRsr REACHED
BUTTE IN 1872.

At the recent meeting of the Ameri-
can Institute of Mining Engineers,
held in New York, ex-senator Clark
of Montana INDUCED in some interest
ing "reminiscences of his early mining
experiences The following extract
from his remarks is taken from the
Engineering and Mining Jurnal:
my first experience in mining was
in 1862, on the Bobtail mine, near
Black Hawk, Colo, where l worked on
a windlass for some weeks at $3.50 per
day. then was given position un-
foreground and was indicted into the
mysteries Of handling drill, in which
l became reasonably expert. This
followed for almost year, until l de-
cided that there was very little future
in vocation of that kind, and having
heard of what they termed the Grass
hopper Mines then in Idaho in To-
cality which afterward became part of
Montana, l set out in the spring of
1863 for that country with three COM
panions. We purchased two yoke Of
Denver in May, reaching the town of
what was then called East Bannack,'
in the Grasshopper district, after,
about 60 days travel.
Arrival At Bannack.
"The first night after my arrival we
started out on a stampede and secured
claim in a placer gulch, 80 miles
from Bannack, which l worked for
two years during the mining season.
Omitting any reference to my varied
experiences in that new country until
1872, in the fall of which year / first
visited the town of Butte which was
then deserted placer mining camp,
and where there We're only about half
a dozen people remaining, l will state
that my object was to examine the
quartz mines, a few Of which had been
located and abandoned, and there l Sc
cured several claims. Believing, how
self for proper exploitation of the
quartz mines, came to New York and
spent the winter of ~ and '73, where
! took special course in assaying
and analysis at the Columbia School
of Mines then established about 44th
street and Madison avenue. DR..
Pierre de Peyster Ricketts,, now prom
inent in the mining world, was then
my preceptor. This was the first
school of mines established in the
United States.
Value Of Technical knowledge.
previous to this time no one was
considered as having any knowledge
worth while in mining or metallurgy
unless he had taken course in one
of the famous schools of Freiberg or
Clausthal, in Germany The Column
bia School of Mines gradually devel-
pped into one of the first institutions
now famous institution are the lead
ing mining engineers of the United
States and may be found in almost
every camp. The knowledge that
gained in the school of mines was OF
great service to me afterward in my
career Of developing and operating
mines. In recent years other schools
IF mines have been established in
various parts Of the United States
which have given great Stimulus tc
the mining Industry.
Il have long been member of the
Institute of Mining Engineers and
bear tribute to the great and valuable
work that this institute has acc ,:n-
plished. The discussions of great
problems in mining and metallurgy
and the papers which have been read
at the various meetings of the insti-
tute have had a widespread and valu-
able influence
. II observe present this evening one
of the founders of the Institute, who
for long period was editor of the En-
cheering and Mining Journal. His
contributions to this journal have CIV
en- it high standard in the mining
world, and the fact that hundreds of
millions of pounds Of copper are sold
annually based on the quotations of
the average price of copper as pub
lished in its columns indicates the
confidence which both sellers and buy
ers repose in the management of that
Journal"