“That illustration is my idea,” he said proudly.
“It’s very—very alluring,” Helen conceded. “And you are interested?”
“Interested!” gleefully, “it’s all mine! Wait till you go on.”
The first paragraph of the text read:
We have, with infinite hardship and difficulties and a large personal expense, secured absolute legal ownership, and physical possession, of eight placer claims, making 160 acres of the richest, unworked placer ground in the United States.
THE PROPERTIES
Queen of Sheba No. 1:—Area about 15 acres.
Section 1—600 × 300 feet. Examined by the best obtainable placer experts and under the most favorable conditions money could afford. Prospect Shaft No. L:—Through natural, clean sand and fine river gravel. Depth of pit 10 feet. Every foot showed gold in paying quantities. A four foot streak, extremely rich, passes through this section. Red-rock was not reached but the values increase with depth, as is usually true.
| Average workable depth of this section 60 ft. | ||
| Average assay .6235 per cubic yard. | ||
| 600 × 300 × 60——400,000 cu. yds. @ .6235 | $249,400 | |
| Estimated cost of working 5 cents per cu. yd. | 20,000 | |
| ———— | ||
| Estimated Net Profit | $229,000 |
“That’s one of the poor claims,” he explained carelessly, “we probably won’t bother with it.”