Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-03-15
NO. So

| hugo boulders which had tumbled from the
impending cliffs In one place, at the height
| of fifty feet above the ravine, for half mile,
on which were regular tiers Of small, round,
oblong rocks looking precisely similar TO q
wharf with grain sacks hcaped up IN rows,
this the boysinstantly christened the "Devirs
Levees' and another spot on the opposite
side where, OH little lap of level ground,
number OF immense egg-shapcd bouldcrs
stood nodding this way and that, was called
the Granite POLKA" We passed, in the
next few miles, scenery Of the most wild and
picturesque charcter Imaginable; vast over
hanging cliffs, huge rounded domcs, tapering
spires and in short such variety Of wild
mountain scenery that have not space to
attempt a description. Towards evening we
where we were to realize our golden dreams.
We could hardly wait to unpack our mules,
so anxious were we to be getting our claims.
indeed, two of our party tied their animals to
tree and rushed flriously up the ravine, to
secure claims, without waiting for anything.
Going to the place where Mccormick 4 Co.
were at work At running cut up the ravinc,
asked to see the kind Of gold they were
finding, and was shonc some five or six
"colors" about the size Of a grain Of mus
tarat q @ a f.ags IfaY
Let me see some Of those coarser pieces
| you have been getting," said i. Nal aafl
| "Well, you sec them, we have been get.
ting nothing coarseI."
"Ycs," said I, feeling afraid they were
not inclined to come: out, ''but where arc
those pieces as big as peas"
"Ila, ha, haw, haw! who told you about
themy'
| "Dixson, is it SOP" a Fo Rhf
$50 its so over the left ~ 7
Halloo! Dixson ~ cried I, "run here
quick peas don't begin, they'r no name for
! il ~
Dixson gazcd on the minute spccks in dis.
| gust then throwing down the pan got down
into the cut and went to digging np some
dirt with which he filed the pan, md wink.
| ing for me to follow, started down the stream
to a small pool. When we were out Of hear
| ing of the other parties he informed me that
he thought they were trying to 'play us!'.
"They don't want it known that there IS
anything here" said nc, till their friends
are on hand, but you can bet high Ill get
good prospect out of this p sH
Meantime he was washing it down, stop.
ping occasionally as he ncared the bottom TO
tlirt the water over it in expectation Of seeing
| a chispa; the less sand there was left in the
pan the longer grew his face, and at last every
particle Of black-sand was panned out arid
naught remained except the few specks orig.
inally in the pan.
"Sknnkcd, by the holy spoons y cried he.
! then washed out the pan and filled it.
with dirt out of crevicc, the best | could
find panned it down and had three dimin
utvc colors. We then went back to the cut
and after good deal of questioning found
out that the whole story OF the big strike
started from what Mccormick happened to
say to the fellow who had started for the
rocker, viz: That by getting this fine round
gold in the top gravel, he was inclined to
think that on getting down to the bedrock
they might find pieces as big as peas, and il
they did he shouldn't wonder ii they could
make twenty dollars per day with rocker.
From this, then, started the grand story we
were told before starting; and have known
many greater eXcitements with even less
foundation. Even after we had been at home
a week and supposed it pretty generally un.
derstood that the whole thing was humbug,
the Territorial Enterprise come aept with
puff RiCn STRIKE! some tisstky miners
making $40 per day with rockers! GoLD
COARSE, pieces having been found weighing
Sl5! Of good quality, will bring SIT per
ounce, &s." And the California papers talk.
ing up the song rung the changes upon II
for a month; the gold continually growing
coarscr and of better quality. ~,
Though a good deal cooled by what We had
learned we were not altogether discouraged.
The boys got their picks, pans and shovels
and dividing up in small parties struck out
in various directions, up and down the Canon
and among the small ravincs putting in from
among the hills agreeing that wherever tho
hncf t,rO In n1,sr
should "be in' and claims staked of to the
advantage of all hands! AT night the pros.
pcctcrs all came in and nothing had been
found that would "pay.' We lighted our
campfire, baked our slapjacks, fried our
bacon and made a glorious meal after which,,
pipes were lighted and many tough stories
told of the good old days Of '49, when the
pockets Of every "honcst miner y literally
overfowed with gold. At length the story
tellers grew dull, our campfire burned low,
our pipes were out and we rolled ourselves,
up in our thick, warm blankets and stretched
here and there among the trees, wherever ii
level spot of ground was to be found, were
soon bushcd to sleep by the bubblng Of the
rills and the faint whispers Of the winds. s.
AT dawn Of day we were astir. Pike was
among the first to be moving, and Tom the
last--in fact he did not unroll' tillb,csk-
fast was almost ready he then crawlcd out
and proceeded to pull on his boots, taking u
seat on a pack saddle for that purposc.
had noticed Pike watching narrowly His every
move and was looking for somcthingto come
off" soon. Tom had got one boot ron and
his toes started into the other when Ee stop
ped and yawned lazily. CHANGING at Pike Il
saw that the thing was coming to, d. Mad
Rousing himself, Tom drew on his boo& with
a chugg. His foot had hardly struck bottom
before he gave yell and turned deadly pale.
grasping his boot in both hands no made
frantic efforts to pull it off but lost his bal
ancc and tuniblcd over on the ground yell
ling 8
"Scorpion! scorpion! in my boot quick,
for the love Of Heaven quick, pull it off,
Pike managed to be the first 10 get to him,
and seizing him by the ankle commenced tug
gins desperately at it, dragging Tom. here
and there in the dirt with nothing but tho
top Of bis head touching the ground. n
s "Your foots swclled Tom." said Pike,
Z" an this boot can't be got OFF,
" Yes it can! pulls confound you pull -,
II A.. - nM At