Show ADVICE ON MINE MAKING the following is the substance of an address given by prof F A thomson of the washington state college at pullman almost 90 per cent of mining enterprises are failures through some form of incompetence either in sampling driving tunnels or the reckless expenditure of money do not select the best looking samples and expect the ore body to average up to the assays essays made many persons take a piece of ore and breaking it in two send the two parts to different assayers expecting them to check up against each other this is foolishness and lives gives no necessary indication of the ore values in taking samples a pick will break down the softest and hence generally the most valuable portions thus giving a sample of too high grade while a hammer will break off the projecting portions usually the hardest and therefore the most barren thus giving a sample of too low grade it is better to use a hammer and moil cutting a channel across the surface or side to be sampled and breaking it down uniformly in selecting samples for assays essays do not leave it to guesswork bul bui discriminate taking average pieces crosscutting cross cutting while adaptable to some sections is not good for all districts any man who has followed a stringer and has had difficulty in finding it after every shot knows that it is almighty foolishness to go some feet away and begin to tunnel in barren country rock stay with your ore till you know what it is sinking dinzes occasionally and if need be driving short cross cuts but do not start development by an expensive crosscut tunnel after you have found a good property do not erect expensive reduction works at once processes adapted to the oxidized ores of the surface may be wholly unfit for the ores of the sulphide zone while if you build for the latter you will surely be able to 1 get the values from the oxide ores work out your treatment scheme on a small scale adapting your plant as you proceed and while it is small enough to be in inexpensive and after you are sure of your methods extend it to any desired size do not try to get an acreage as it was vas said was done in portions of the G goldfield old district where most of the properties had only territory and vicinity A small fraction has room for large values beneath |