Year: 1876

DIsAPPoINTMENT.-The fact cannot be dis guised that this community felt disappoint- ment at the failure of Mir. Rogers to secure the interest he sought to purchase in the dis covery claim of the Peck Mining Co. Mir. Rogers represents a Company having ample means to handle any mining enterprise they see fit to take hold of, and though the prop erty is no doubt cheap at the figures offered -S9O,O00 for three-fifths of l,5O0 feet-it would yet have left the parties with their interest in the remaining 5000 feet in the mine, and given them S9O,OOO with which to develop it. In addition to this, it would have insured the erection of reduction works and the building of a road to the property; thus in the matter of a road, at least, enhancing the value of the remaining 6,000feet as much as the original discovery.

 The great want of the country is capital to develop the mines, and thus far it has been shy of these far out-Of-the-way places, the merchants and the Quartermaster being about all that could be depended on for any considerable sums, and the former, while they have done all that could reasonably be expected of them, have been obliged 10 use

 

 hand a sufficient supply of provisions, clothing, tools, etc., in order that the pros- pector could prosecute his search for new discoveries. It has been impossible for the merchants to do much towards defraying the expenses of development, though they have been enabled to assist in many instan- ces in furnishing supplies for prospecting.

 Under such circumstances it would seem, ' and does seem to those who have no direct interest in the property, but who do have an interest in the welfare of the country, and feel kindly towards those who are the own CTS of valuable mines, that they ought to sec ond the efforts of those who are trying to in- duce capital to come here, to the extent of offering inducements such as MT. Rogers sought in the case of the Peck interests.

 A placer camp will develop itself. Each night or week the miner carries homo with him the result of his labor, but no quartz mining camp ever did or ever will pay with out some outside assistance, no matter how rich. In the first place, nature has general ly hidden the silver and gold-bearing veins away in almost inaccessible places in the mountains, where roads must be built at great expense; and in the second, the ma chnery and other appliances for mining and reducing the ores are very expensive so that they must have money, and though it may be said that it is nobody's bus- ness except those who own the mines, as we are free to admit, is not, in legal sense; yet the fact remains that others, who would not willingly see the parties directly intrested wronged out of a cent under any circumstances, felt disappointed, and even discouraged, when it was finally announced | that the offer was refused and that Mr. Rog- | CTS had returned to San Francisco.

 Those who have recently been to the mine | in question know that the metal is there, and | that in the hands of a company of rich capi- | talists like G. w. Grayson and the other gen. tlemen associated with Mir. Rogers, it could | soon be made to yield immense profits on the amount offered; but they know, also, that it is situated long way from wagon transportation, with lofty mountains to be | overcome and graded before machinery can be taken there, and those who have had any experience in quartz mining and milling know too that such machinery as will be re- quired to work the mine requires a snug lit tie fortune to purchase it at the foundry and another to transport it a thousand miles, even were the roads good.