The lonely and often dangerous life of the prospector makes him hardy and resourceful. He is so glad to see a new face that he is ex tremely open-hearted and hospitable not only to his comrades, but to strangers. In spite of these good traits, however, prospectors rarely prosper. All their dangers and hardships seldom result in riches or even in a good living. The trouble is that on their rare visits to town they promptly waste their money,—"blow it in" on gambling and dissipation,—and are soon poor again. When they make a real find their money comes so easily that they have the gambler's spirit, and spend it at once because they think that they can quickly get more. With the growth of the science of geology even the ignorant prospector is realizing the value of the trained expert who lives in the lowland cities and makes occasional expeditions to the mountains.
(2) Development.—After a promising prospect has been located, it is "developed," sometimes by the prospector, but usually by some lowlander who can furnish the necessary capital. "Development" consists of exposing enough ore to see whether its quality and abundance warrant the building of a mill and the installation of permanent machinery. Roads must be constructed to carry the ore to places where it can be assayed, and to bring supplies; shacks must be built; and miners must be hired. Where much development is going on small towns grow up. They are the typical smaller mining "camps" of our Western mountains. They contain almost no fam ilies, for since the work may end any day men do not bring their wives and children. The poolroom and dance hall are usually the main social centers. Wages are high; the stores charge exorbitant prices; and the miners spend their money freely. Such a camp is full of the evil influences that go with a life that depends chiefly on "luck" and not on steady work.
Mining Booms.—While mines are being developed among the mountains, "booms" are apt to be launched in the cities of the low lands. The owners of a valuable prospect must replace their rough trails by good roads or railways, they must erect stamp mills to crush the ore, and smelters to melt it and separate the metal from the im purities. In order to attract capital they print glowing advertise ments telling how rich and abundant is the ore and how quickly in vestors will grow wealthy. Often the promoters of such a prospective mine really believe what they say, but are mistaken. Equally often, unscrupulous promoters tell big stories without regard to the truth. Rarely do investors in mines that are publicly boomed recover even the money that they put in, and much less make a profit. Generally if the prospects are really good, there are plenty of people*to supply the capital without much advertising. Among the urban population
of this country who have a small surplus for investment many have lost money in mining ventures. They ought to know that the vast majority of mines-do not pay.
(3) Permanent Mining.—Most mining ventures never get beyond the stages of prospecting and development. The few that survive may give rise to relatively permanent industries. Iron ore, alu minum-bearing rocks, and coal beds frequently occur in such abun dance that work can be carried on in the same region for generations. The coal beds of Wales, for example, have yielded a vast supply of fuel for over a century. In the United States the enormous iron deposits of the Lake Superior district have been worked extensively since the early eighties of the nineteenth century, but they show no signs of exhaustion and some actually grow richer the more deeply they are penetrated. The precious metals on the contrary are usually found in small veins which may suddenly come to an end without warning, and the same is true of copper and lead, but to a less degree. Petroleum deposits are also likely to diminish rapidly.
The Precious Metals.—(1) Placer Mining.—The precious metals may serve as an example of the stages of the mining industry. Gold occurs in such a form that it particularly encourages prospecting. Much of it is found in small flakes or nuggets in "placers," that is, in gravel deposited by running water. Even with the crudest apparatus the gold can be recovered. The gravel may be placed in a large pan with water and swirled about so that the water and gravel gradually spill out. The gold, being heavy, stays at the bottom of the pan. Hence anyone who can pay his way to the mining region can engage in gold mining. There is always the chance of coming upon a pocket of gold dust or nuggets and becoming rich in a day.
When the news of the great gold deposits of Klondike became known in 1896, miners and adventures from many lands toiled across the bitterly cold mountains of Alaska. Everyone was so feverishly anxious to "make his pile" that almost no one was willing to-do the ordinary work of life such as cooking, house-building, store-keeping, and road-building. Hence wages rose to five or ten times their usual level. Since the cost of carrying a ton a mile over the mountains was about $20, the vast majority of the 30,000 people who penetrated the region had to spend most of their earnings in paying for food and lodging. The production of gold increased rapidly for a few years as is shown in Fig. 48, but soon declined. This is typical of most min ing ventures. So too is the way in which most of the miners returned home as poor as when they came.