Bisbee daily review., 1914-03-08
SAILED PlACERS
 -SANTO DOMINGO

By J. w. Ledoux in the Mining and Scientific Press.l
 At frequent intervals iuring the past ten CT more years there have been brought to the UnHed States propositions for the investment in mines in Santo Domingo. The mos. lurld prospectuses and statement have been presented, representing that fabulous wealth exists principal ly in the shape of gold quartz veins an5 placer deposits. These placer de- rcsits have been generally represented to exist in the red soils Of the plains. CT highlands, between the rivers at the foothills of the mountain ranges.
 Many people Of means have been induced to invest in leases and con. sessions. and several mining engin- eers of experience have been sent down to make investigations and yer. fly tho claims of the promoters. In nearly all cases the engineers have come back and more or less favc able reports. and hniings averaging Sl0 tc s2 per yard have been reported for areas covering thousands CT acres. Tho accounts of these deposits have net always referred to the same To. oality. but the most advertised region Is that in the vicinity and with!n 20 to 90 miles cf the City of Santo Do mngo. covering the mountainous re zion at the headquarters of the Nj qua. Jaina, Isabelle, and Opma rivers.
 There are no roads in this vicinity simply mountain trails. and 10 min ing operation on any considerable scale has as yet been started. but sto- res are told of fabulous wealth in geld extracted by the Spaniards several hundres years ago and there are many evidences of their old work ings, especially on the highlands but reliable tests havc been made at and in the vicinity of the wcrkngs. none of which has shown commercial gravel to exist The fact that during all ttis time no one has had the faith or enterprise to install sufficient rlsnt to mine on large scale Is fair evidence that nothing of material value has as yet been displayed. I was informed of a large stock f,o- tation scheme. known as the "A L.. Brown" episode. some years ago, when the most gigantic deception was practised by a Ssnto Domingo resi- dent on mary American investors, and the fraud was afterward ciscoyereli
 Another story that is current states that this same resident cf SGnto b. mingo sent a sample of red soil to g firm in the United States with an in- auiry as to it's suitability for paint. This firm had their chemist ana,yze the soil, and he reported that it con tained considerable gold. The firm then wrcte to the man in Santo Do mingo for a larger sample and inquired whether he had much of this same kind Of soil. A second large sample was sent, and tested in the same way anl fcund to contain even more gold tran the first The firm then started negotiations with the Santo Domingo man which resulted in an option or agreement to purchase for a large sum of money and the payment down cf A large sum- They then started op- erations and soon discovered that there was no god of any account where the material came from. They then sued the Santo Domingo, man for fraud in the Dominican courts and were ncu-suited on tfe ground flat he dis not pretenl that there was gold in the soil and that his ne gctiation5 were carried on entirely on account of the possible prospective Ialnt value.
 About a year sgo this Santo D. mn go man and several associates inter csed some Philadelphia people m rrcperty along the Jaina river and these people sent reputable mining engineer down to examine the prop orty. The engineer, on account ol his general knowledge of the country and previous experience in similar formations, prior to making examina ten, was extremely skeptical as tt the presence Of any gold gravel oi value, and SO advised hls p'incipies Nevertheless, he made the investiga ton and found that several of the streams emptying into the Jaina river contained gc,i, for there were man, natives, especially women, who ma a business of banning gold on these streams. His investigations showed that the river bed was narrow ant steep for miles, and suddenly wid ened out into large deposit of gray el, which would afford excellen grcund for dredging, providing it cen tained gold. and as it wns close be low the mouths of these goli-tear ing streams, he thought it was wortl trial. He, therefore, obtained drill capable of testing the ground and when he commenced work ha' only 15 days 10 mske the test, whe' 1t was necessary to make consid erable payment fer the concession He sank some half dozen holes. ai well distributed as possible to tes he ground and found gravel averae ing soc per cubic yard for an aver
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