Show THE COST OF TESTING A HINE several inquiries have been received from eastern astern persons regarding the probable cost of the examination of mining properties and leading brokers report that they are constantly in receipt of letters asking for information on this matter in many of these cases the writers exhibit a remarkable agnor ance of what is required of a mining engineer in the exam examination nation of a mine one broker was ivas asked to employ a competent man at an expense of not to exceed 50 to examine a placer mine in the western part of routt county containing t nearly 2000 acres As traveling expenses would amount to more than twice that sum no one has yet been found willing to go and in an examination of it a placer property recently concluded anex an expert was on the ground around nearly six weeks in arriving at an approximate conclusion regarding garding g the value of a tract of 2500 acres the expense of examining a mine or prospect varies greatly important factors being the character of the property the character and extent of the ore body the amount of development the distance to be traveled the modes of conveyance and the eminence of the engineer for prospects with trifling development the charges of engineers are campara tive elight but for mines which have large bodies of ore exposed an examination frequently runs up into thousands of dollars as besides the fee of the engineer numerous assays essays must be made assistants are required to aid the engineer and frequently many tons of ore must be run through a testing plant to determine the best methods of treatment less than two years ago ago the examination of a large mine in this state involved the making of 1100 assays essays at a cost of more than 1500 and the treatment of tons of ore in addition to these expenses must be taken into account traveling expenses hotel bills and incidentals such as the purchase of necessary tools the employment of extra labor etc average engineers expect to receive as fees not less than 25 a day and expenses this is not extravagant as few even at that figure make more than an ordinary professional income during the year while many are fortunate if they net the average wage of a bookkeeper engineers of established reputation make much higher cha charges raes there are several engineers in this state who will not look at a mine for less lees than 1000 and many instances can be cited in which the engineers fee exclusive of expenses was as high as this class of expert engineer as a rule declines to examine anything 11 but developed mines or make general reports covering large areas of mineral territory which include geological and topographical 11 features water supply engineering possibilities bili ties and matters of that kind which require exceptional skill and experience on the other hand halad there are in this city not fewer thau than rood good engineers who will make examinations of small mines and prospects for to and expenses dependent upon the distance from denver and other factors mentioned large mining syndicates usually employ their r engineers by the year and pay large salaries several denver men receive a year with the privilege of making outside examinations and ono one colorado man in the employ of a london syndicate receives an annual income of about as consulting engineer for several companies to make the trip to routt county mentioned above would require 1000 tor a competent engineer for traveling 11 expenses 1 for hotel bills and the wages of two men at to 3 a day for six weeks the engineer could probably be secured for 25 a day and by increasing the force of laborers so as to cover the ground more rapidly the total expense would be materially reduced but in that case it might be necessary to employ an assistant to the engineer to enable him to keep his record of extraction up to the work of the men digging the pits denver republican |