Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1920-11-27

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 The mining engineer makes the whole world his patrimony; the Amer ican members of the profession have lived up to this tradition III recent years, although previously they were more stay-at-home than their English friends, for the good reason that our country happens to be continental in it's extent and mineral resources Latterly the American has been dir ecting mining operations in the remot- est corners of the earth, from Okho- tsk to Tanganyika, from Suan to Gnu quicamata. He has also investigat- ed the ancient mining districts of that cradle of civilization, the Medierran- can. Not long ago we referred to the exploratory work done by engineers of the General Electric Company on the Sinai peninsula; this week we give sundry particulars concerning prospecting in old workings on the is land of Cyprus. The information comes in the course of an interview with one of the leaders of our profess sion, MT. Seeley w. Mudd, now resi- dent of Los Angeles. As man is more interesting than a mine, so MT. Mudd is more engaging than a Cyproit prospect; or if you like to look upon a man as a prospect in another sense, then you will find that the sample we have taken pans well; it shows the pure gold of good citizenship. MT. Mudd is evidence for the efficiency of the American melting-pot; his for bears came from several racial stocks, which have been so roasted, smelted, and refined in the laboratory of Amer ican life and tradition that the product after two or three centuries, is an un- mistakable type the civis Americanus. MT. Mudd had the best education a. vailable in his youth, but he recog- nizes how much the technical training of today is better than that of forty years ago. Later he underwent an apprenticeship that an intelligent member of the younger generation might we'll envy. In the first place, he had a chance to do all kinds of work in smelter immediately after leaving college, and then, when he went to Leadville, he engaged in the leasing of mines on his own account. We regard leasing as an invaluable experience, because it helps young engineer to acquire judgement and in itiative, besides teaching him unfor- getably that the purpose of mining is to make money. It is not given to every young man to engage in mining on his own account, for to do that he must have some capital, but if he can obtain the experience it is likely to make him a reliable consultant in aft CT years, provided the pursuit of wealth does not make him wild op- timist, which is the result of the sacra flames auri, as, indeed, of the hunger for baser metals. In our published interviews with successful engineers it will have been noted how often a successful turn in a mans career is due apparently to an accident. MT. Donaldson chose to go to the mine in Oregon, thereby resigning the man. agement of the Small Hopes to MT. Mudd. On his connection with that famous mine he laid the foundation of his career. First he had the eX
 perience of managing the Small Hopes in it's bononza stage and later as a depository of low-grade ore. He was given charge of other mines distin- guished by variety of geologic struc- ture and operated under diverse econ- omic conditions. His leasing opera
 tions, as we have said, were particu
 larly valuable in developing the qual- ities of discrimination and sagacity that became personal characteristics as he advanced in his career. In the end he became connected profession
 ally with the biggest mining ventures in the West. The Ray laid the basis of his personal fortune. It is inter esting to note his confident foresight in contract with the narrow vision of the former British owners; when worked on a small scale as high grade deposit, the mine was failure, but when exploited as an immense de- posit of low-grade ore it was made enormously profitable, thanks to the constructive imagination of an alert and experienced engineer. An Eng fish mining engineer of recognized ability and high character, the late Alexander Hill, opened up the Ray in the first instance, unfortunately too soon to take advantage of the i'm provements in technical practice, in mine and mill, that made it possible to exploit copper ores with a cheap ness now no longer remarkable. MT. Nudd's adventure in the United East ern was smaller affair, but likewise extremely profitable. We have heard it said that the United Eastern, in x~l.o ooJ axoc,,tiop wac ono of the