Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1914-08-30

companies in small, undeveloped
prospects; CO. the lack of any re-
cent great discoveries like Goldfield
and Cripple Creek, which appeal
nightly to the public; Q0) the alb
sorbing of SO much money lately by
the automobiles, moving pictures and
many other fads, fancies, specula-
tons and extravagances; G1) the
tendency most mining engineers have
to reject every prospect in order to
he on the safe side, and because it
does not look like a mine-no pros
pect looks like a mine until it is
developed into mine, when, of
course, it looks like what it is. a.
mine; CID the knocking of every
prospector's property by every other
prospector; 03) the nationwide cru
SADIE against gambling and speculat-
ing that has to some extent killed
the gambling spirit in the American
public-a very good thing, too; it
ought to be further discouraged:
04) the lack of any general moral
support and encouragement of the
prospector and his business Just now
Ga few mining magazines and west
ern newspapers, it is true are trying
in half-hearted way to encourage
the prospector); G5) certain alleged
imperfections in our mining laws and
alleged rulings and practices of
those who administer the forest re-
serves; G6) psychological hard
times; 90 wars and rumors of wars.
But the general reason that includes
all the rest is, as pointed out above,
the lack Of any great public interest
in mining. The reason there is no
great public interest in mining is, as
also pointed out above, that the de-
nands for the miners commodities
prospects, mining stocks, metals, etc,
is hardly equal to the supply. If
for anf reason there should suddenly
come such a demand for gold, lead,
zinc, copper, coal, oil and iron that
the prize of each would double with
in five years and remain so for any
considerable length of time, then
there would be a mining boom such
as the world never yet saw. There
would be regular mining craze, a
perfect debauch and the prospector,
for a while, would battle in cham
payne, ride in $4,000 limousines
and build palaces galore. And as for
the wildcatter-those that have
starved to death during the past sew
en- years would turn over in their
graves, and those in Jail would
speedily procure a pardon or break
Jail, and become exceedingly active;
and those who are now eking out
miserable existence by doing odd
jobs would suddenly become prosper
GUS and flourish like the proverbial
green bay tree
In conclusion | wish to say again
that there is nothing seriously the
matter with prospecting, There is
a little dullness in the business for
the reasons pointed out. There is no
tremendous boom in prospecting just
now. of course, and there won't be
until, for some such reasons as
have mentioned, the general public
becomes greatly interested in the
and his prospects, and in
in general. But I will VEN
ture to say that there are now hun
dreds of men of more than ordinary
out in the hills in their
automobiles fsome with their fam
ilies) securing the hills for new ore
bodies and examining old discov-
cries. We must not forget that the
business of prospecting is undergo
ing transition from the old lone,
long haired man, with one or two
disreputable burros, frying pan, cof-
fee pot, grubstake and old fashioned
pick and shovel, exiting himself in
the hills for months at a time, to
the up-to date, modern prospector
with his automobile and assaying
outfit. AS to which is capable Of
producing the better results, the old
time prospector or the strictly mod
ern prospector, l am not prepared to
say.