Show the prospector and his burro if some time ago 12 said the prospector to his burro we were talking of experts and mining engineers and now you seem to think you know all about them for your interest is more centered in that empty tomato can than in what I 1 am saying but I 1 want to tell you that your knowledge of mining engineers is about the size of a perny penny anti for I 1 have never allowed you to keep much company with that cass c ass I 1 see that you think I 1 am only knocking from force of habit but that is because your belly is full and you feel more peaceful than you will in the morning when we start to hike up that steep canyon just as there are burros and burros so are there engineers and engineers and the number of good ones among the engineers is far less than among the burros but this is not a compliment to you none whatever for the engineer of today is not in the same class as the one we saw down by the river some twelve years ago the majority of modem experts are too much afraid of making mistakes and hurting their reputations and so many a good property has fc been turned do down wn because the metal was not coined on the dump and ready for shipment to the bank then again there are some who will give a rosy report on any proposition if they are paid enough for the job and this class Is far worse those who want a little mint with a fence around it but I 1 want to tell you old long ears that the aforesaid specimens are archangels compared to some I 1 know of I 1 see you sitting up and taking notice thinking I 1 am going to describe a blood and thunder villain but nothing doing in the dime novel line none whatever what I 1 had in mind was the double standard engineer the kind of a fellow who will let you write your own lepor report t and then sign it it makes me blush and it would make you too if your brains were located in the right place to see what confidence people place in these so called engineers reports I 1 know some parties who by the way would look well on the inside of a penitentiary who sent out a high priced engineer to look over certain mining property before writing his opinion he asked whether they wished a buying 0 or r a selling report an honest bunch would have cut him out right there but this outfit told him to go as far as he liked for they figured on selling to a bunch of suckers the report which was a masterpiece of imagination was fixed up in a leather bound prospectus about the size of a full grown ham this work of art was used to separate many a hard dollar from the easy mark who had far better put his money up in a game of three card monte however you missouri mocking b ard rd you must not think that there is no value in a good engineers report ort and trat all of them are looking for the coin regardless but what you want is the straight dope and sure its none of the en engineers inders i business what you want it for when you pay a man twenty five fifty and sometimes a hundred dollars or more a day for an expert opinion you naturally expect to get something for your money unless you are very sure of your man an engineers report s just like so much hard mazuma sunk in the river and there you are |