Show THE pathfinder IN MINING there is no doubt but that the prospector is the pathfinder in mining operations he is the pioneer the vanguard of an army of mining men and investors who follow in his wake and in his sphere he is just as important por tant and more so than is the man who eventually takes advantage of and profits by his discoveries and but fo for r him many of our now great mining camps many of our great producers and dividend payers would not exist today would be unheard of As a general thing the prospector is in a class all by himself it is not often that he is a skillful miner it is usually the case that he has had but little schooling his knowledge of geology and mineralogy is nil surface indications appeal to him only and his ignorance of formation and the composition of ores often leads him into grevious errors into mistakes which his victims charge to a desire to deceive to exaggeration on his part and yet every little while the prospector will find out the hidden treasures of nature and as a result of his toil the endur ance of many privations and hardships the world is given another source of great mineral wealth then again there are prospectors and they are few in number who have given a great deal of thought and time to the study of geology mineralogy metallurgy chemistry and assaying who are thoroughly versed in the mining laws of the land and who go about prospecting for the precious metals with as much method and system as envelope the banking business or any other important occupation and because of this knowledge of this essential information they make fewer mistakes and their discoveries are generally of much more value than are those made by their less fortunate com peers many people rail at the average prospector and condemn his methods and yet he is the anchor to which the mining industry is tied he may make mistakes and yet his intentions are good and honorable his imagination may be vivid but his exaggerations are only the echo of his hopes and the lack of real knowledge about mining affairs all men are not fitted for the life of a prospector his is the longing to be alone with nature he enjoys the solitude the sublimity of the mountain fastnesses fast nesses for months at a time with a companion he lingers in the canyons in almost inaccessible places in isolated localities and is happy get him into the city or bustling mining camp and he soon tires for the freedom of the mountains the pavements hurt his feet the routine of business is tiresome his friends and acquaintances are too busy to keep him interested and he soon transplants tran plants his wearied self to localities more congenial to his nature there to climb the rugged hill sides in his search for the ledge from which came the promising looking float found a month or so ago he may not shine in society and could not lead the german in a social function but through his efforts the money medium of the world is constantly increasing and for all of his rags and notwithstanding his peculiar makeup make up he is a pathfinder all the same and just as important in his sphere as is the napoleon of finance or a captain of industry |