OCR Text |
Show MINING Mining, in its character, especially m the early stages, stand's absolutely alone among human occupations. It thrives upon the spirit of adventure that has always been an outstanding characteristic of the people of this country; upon the grit and determination determina-tion of the prospector and his side-partner, side-partner, the promoter; upon love of the Great Out-doors and freedom of individual action and, in the last analysis, upon luck. Prospects that look like sure winners on surface frequently fre-quently turn out to be failures, while ome of the poorest surface showings have made the greatest mines at depth. There is no foot-rule of valuation; valu-ation; work, work and then more work is the only key to the secrets of Mother Nature. Since that is the case, how foolish It is to try to measure mining ventures ven-tures by the yardstick of valuation applied to ordinary commercial projects, pro-jects, where visible assctts can be seen and priced; how disastrous to set up ft human agency to tell men how much they may spend upon a given prospect and under what conditions. con-ditions. Many a mine has been made by the first thousand dollars; many another has failed to live up to expectations ex-pectations though many thonsaod times that amount has been expended. expend-ed. Risk cannot be eliminated and yet that risk must be gladly taken if we are to retain our place as the greatest metal-producing country on earth. Geologists may minimize chances of loss, but they cannot remove re-move them. No man can see far into the ground. It is the spirit of adventure adven-ture we must preserve at all hazards. It is mining's first essential. After that comes capital and that wilT always al-ways be forthcoming if it is treated properly and is honestly advised of the ri.sk it takes. |