196 WITH GUN AND GUIDE 



said they barely made a living out of it. However one 

 mine is being worked near the town upon a very large 

 scale, and the profits are said to be considerably over a 

 hundred thousand dollars a year. There are some 

 smaller mines which we did not see that are also pay- 

 ing fairly well. 



We inspected one mine which was to be operated upon 

 quite an expensive plan of dredging. We asked how 

 long it had been since work was started upon it, our 

 informant saying : 



" I have been here four years, and it was being pre- 

 pared then." 



" When do you expect to start ? " 



" I don't know. We have sunk a vertical shaft 190 

 feet deep, and at the bottom of that we have dug and 

 blasted out another shaft 220 feet in a horizontal line. 

 We have installed a big turbine, big walking-beam and 

 all kinds of machinery ; but when we'll start no one 

 seems to know." 



" Have you taken out any gold at all ? " 



" Not a dollar's worth," he replied. 



We came to a mining enterprise with four houses 

 erected for the officials of the company a fine plant, 

 filled with machinery and every kind of implement for 

 mining, and all of the properties were closed up and 

 deserted. Window blinds were still shading the win- 

 dows, the former occupants evidently thinking they 

 were not worth carrying away. 



