Show WITHIN TWENTY FIVE YEARS it is wonderful to contemplate upon the marvels that time has brought about upon the changes that have occurred in so short a space of time as a quarter of a century of the progress and advancement that has been made of late in almost every line of industry in almost every occupation and pursuit compared with the light the advantages and the opportunities we enjoy today our forefathers were almost in the dark ages fifty years ago and conditions that were impossible then are so universally common now that but little thought is given to the mighty change that has taken place and in no other industry have these changed conditions been more marked than in the mining industry twenty five years ago in this western country hardly any of the metals but silver and gold were looked for and it is a shorter period still since the lead industry assumed any magnitude twenty five years ago only the most simple forms of ore reduction were in use in this intermountain country and free milling ores only were treated while any attempt at lead smelting smelling sm elting resulted in leaving more values in the slag than in the matte twenty five years ago the presence of copper in silver lead or gold ores was a decided detriment and zinc was prohibitive low grade base gold ores were valueless and only the very richest of any character of ore could pay freight and treatment ent charges and still leave any profit to the owner now everything is changed and the improvement pro made in mechanics in mine and mill machinery in methods of ore treatment and reduction has given additional value to every class and character of ores no matter how rich or low grade they may be or how far from market and transportation and the old mine long ago abandoned because it could not be profitably worked is again a breadwinner bread winner and a bonanza and the great dumps and tailings pits grass covered and ugly looking can now be made to disgorge their great stores of mineral wealthy wealth advance in science in knowledge inexperience peri ence has also snatched from the mining industry many of its undesirable features it is not as easy now to gold brick the public as it was twenty five years ago and the capitalist the inventor is deserving of no pity no sympathy it if he allows himself to be robbed in a mining deal in this enlightened age and the way is now so open so celar that the masses have an even chance with the select few in the accumulation of fortunes along the lines of the mining industry while the opportunities port unities are so numerous the returns are so great that it is no wonder that the whole coutney is availing itself of the chance of participating in this anis fascinating but clearly legitimate occupation |