The Delta independent., 1914-02-27
NEWSPAPER MINING STORIES.


particularly if the discovery happens,
as is usually the case, to be in new
territory.
Within the past several years we
have read of scores of these wonder
fully rich finds, but as rule, they
only appeared in print once and were
never heard of again.
The prospector or miner who would
make really valuable discovery and
rush to newspaper office with an ac-
count of it, would have no sense at
all His first and only thought is to
9ecure his ground and take care of his
own holdings. This will require sew
eral months, for he must survey and
record his claims and do his location
work. If his claims possess merit,
these things must not be sighted in
any particular.
If a find happens to possess merit
and the prospector wants help to de-
velop tre property it is not necessary
for him to rush into publicity in order
10 find financial aid and backing. He
can do it much better through his own
efforts. There has always been plenty
Of money ready to go into good min
eral find. and there always will be;
hence about all the object there is in
the exciting newspaper account of
the fabulously rich new finds reported
here and there, is to attract the atten-
ton of suckers.
Since the radium craze set in SO
strongly. nearly every section is claim
ing either carnotite or pitch blend
and trying to start a radium boom.
According to geological experts, urani-
am. or carnotite, only exists in tn :
arid or semi-arid sections. limited to
certain elevations. For ten years past,
Walsh's reward of 900 offered for
the discovery of pitch blend in any
quantity in Colorado, failed of results.
Last week it was stated in Denver
papers that a carload of pitch blend
had been shipped from the old Central
mining district, worth $4,000 per ton.
This may be true and we hope it is,
but coming at this particular time,
we should like to have the proof
At the present time there is no
question but that southwest Colorado
and southern Utah, have the best car
notite fields known. That there are
fortunes in these fields for everyone,
Is but little more to be depended Mp
on than that any other mining SEQ
ton in the past contained fortunes for
all who might rush to them. The his
tory of all mining has been: A few
made money, while the larger percent
age lost money Many big fortunes
were made and these proved the lure.
Because the Louisiana lottery had a
big capital prize, kept hundreds Of
thousands investing in it continuously,
In the hope of sometime winning that
capital prize.
From the little the writer has been
able to observe about our nearby car
notite fields. coupled with a fair
knowledge of mining, he believes that
they offer more nearly even chances
TO the prospector than any other field
now open. Prospecting for the min
eral is easiy and quickly learned and
the ore. where found, is easily mined.
A market for the ore is also now af-
forded, whether the location be far or
near a railroad. 1t is sought so in
tensely that buyers are willing to go
almost anywhere to get it. The ore
does not need to be so high grade at
present pirces, three percent ore be-
ing worth $117 per ton on the nearest
railroad track where it may be min
ed. while 20 percent ore would be
valuable enough to be hauled for a
thousand miles by wagon, even
through q desert. The field where
ptospector stands a reasonable chance
of getting out few sacks of ore from
the grass roots or rock levels and
selling their contents for enough to
pay his expenses from the jump. is
new departure and one sure to ap-
have been going out for the past
month, it has already begun to appeal
A week ago there was a well equipped
party of fifteen left Green River, Utah.
for Henry mountain. distance of lO5
miles down into the desert, where it
WAS said rich carnotite veins had
been discovered.
These fields must not be understood
TO be without their drawbacks, par.
ticularly those in the desert, where
the sands drift and there are many
miles between water holes, and the
quality of the little water found is
moor. The majority of sections