THE PROSPECTOR.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 300, 19 September 1888, Page 2

THE PROSPECTOR.

Thb prospector 13 seMom a man of means, says the Nevada Co. ITeiald. I Neither is he a scientific mincrologist. The man of means does not care to dig in the earth for gold-bearing ledges, and the minerologisfc finds everything but quartz. The Simon-pure prospector is a poor man, and he goes fo prospecting knowing that he m>y find something which will remove poverty from him, and place him in a position to enjoy the real pleasures of life. With this hope he goes into the hills and canyons, into the woods and thickets, and hunts for gold-bearing ledges. It is not a pleasant task. Day after day he searches, and day after day he is disappointed. But he does not give up, and at last he finds that for which he is hunting. A ledge which " looks good " is struck. He fixes his camp there, and proceeds to sink a f-haft. He is alone and the work proceeds slcwly. He may be caved in and killed, or any one of a hundred accidents may befall him, and there is no one near f o offer assistance. Yet he does not falter, but digs steadily, only pausing long enough to go to town or to a country store and lay in a fresh supply of provisions. Sometimes weeks, or even months, are spent upon the " prospect." At last he strikes a body of good ore. He feels sure that a fortune is near at hand. But he cannot develop it. He must enlist capital or sell his prospect. To this end he selects a quantity of specimens and goes to town. Then the hardest part of all the work begins — that of getting somebody interested in the "find." If the rook shows a large quantity of free gold there will be no trouble in getting men vrho have money to go and examine the ledge. But in many cases the inspectors declare it is too small, or not as good as represented. They have a long consultation, have assays made of the rock, decide that it is not what they supposed, and finally decline to put any money into it. Then the prospector begins again. He goes from one capitalist to another. The months drag by, and at last he finds that he must either sell his find or leave it. Somebody has offered him a low figure for his claim, and he may or may not accept it. Nobody recognizes his right to ask a fair price for it. They tell him it is only a prospect ; it may pinch out, or be only a pocket-ledge, or anything but a good mine in embryo. At last he sells the property, and the new owners develop ife. It becomes a good paying mme — a valuable property. The prospector, who has spent months upon it, has received a few hundred dollars, and the new owners reap a harvest of many thousands. It is this method of treatment on the part of capitalists that puts a check on the prospectors work. The man who hunts for gold is not encouraged. His reward is too small. He nmst do his prospecting at his wn expense, and then,, if he is successful, therejis nobody willing to give him a fair compensation for his time and labour. On the contrary, every man would sooner take advantage of him. This checks prospecting", and when prospecting is checked in a mining region, the prosperity and development of the region itself is checked.