Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1870-07-13
DISCOVERY OF MINES.


The richest and most valuable mines
have in almost all instances been dis
covered by accident; often by ignorant
persons who knew not their real value,
and sometimes by children. To an
Indian hunter is owed the knowledge
of the chief American mines, and TO a
shepherd the silver mines Of Peru.
This latter, leading bis hocks to feed
on the slopes of the Andes, lighted a
fire to cook his meal, when a pebble,
heated by the fame, attracted his at
tention by shining like silver He
found the stone massive and woighty,
and finally carried il TO the mint at
Lima, where il was tested, and proved
TO be good ore. As the Spanish laws,
with view to encourage mine dis
covery, make it the property of the
finder, this lucky shepherd became a
millionaire.
The Sacramento gold fields were
discovered by a Mormon laborcr, who
worked in a saw mill. Again, in North
Carolina, in 1899, a child picked up a
yellow stone, of which its father, a
rude settler, thought nothing; but
because il weighed fifteen pounds,
used it as door.iastcner for his cabin,
for he was so poor that he had no
latch. lie showed this stone TO one
of his few visitors, and opincd it to be
n metal of some sort, after which yer.
j dict the owner used TO exhibit it as q
curious rock specimen. Three years
aflerward, on going to the market at
Lafayette, he took the thing to a gold.
smith. and asked fifteen shillings for
il, which was very willingly paid.
It was in reality nugget worth eS75.
| Thus il took four years to find out
that the yellow stones in the streams
of California, were gold
1t is fair to state, however, that
science has occasionally predicted
where the precious metals have after
ward been found. Sir Rodcrick Mur
Gibson, for instance, after q visit tc
the auriierous tracts of tho IRA
mountains, was struck by their great
similarity TO some rock specimens
from East Australia; and in his ad
dress to the Geographical Society in
1874, prophcsied that gold would be
found in the latter region. Led by
his observations, one Smith, engaged
in the iron works at Bcrrima, searched
for gold, and found. lie came to the
| Governor Of the colony with a nugget
in his hand. "Scc what have found
said he; "give me five hundred pounds
and ! will show you the place :" which
the Governor declined TO do Again,
Macgrcgor, Scotch shepherd, used
to sell grains and nuggets of gold tC
the goldsmiths of Sydney, but would
never reveal whence he got them.
1t is not usual, however, for discov
erors Of the precious metals to be pru
dent; they consider themselves "luck
in this particular line, and will leave
or sell a good "fnd' in hopes of find
ing a better This is what tho Span
iards call "the miners frenzy" Thus
the richest vein of silver in Chill, wa:
discovered by Godoy, a hunter in the
Andes. Fatigued by the chase, he
seated himself on one occasion, under
the shelter of a great rock, and was
struck by the color and brightness oi
a projecting part. lie Clipped the
stone with a knife, and finding that
he could cut il TO use his own oxprcs
sion) like cheese, he took a specimen
Of it to Copiapo. II was found to bS
chloride Of silver. He agreed to share
the profits Of his discovery with n rich
man, who engaged to work the mine
they came at once TO masses Of silver
but Godoy sold his interest in th,
matter for two thousand eight hun
drcd pounds, and started TO find NOR,
mines; and having wandered about
tho Andes for some years, died, hav
ing met with no more duck" anC
without n penny.
Two brothers, named Bolakos, discov
cred at Copiapo, in a crcvicc opened
by some earthquake, an enormous
, block Of silver orc, the cutting, trans
port, and fusion Of which was so easy
that these ignorant men effected il
without assistance; and less than two
years realized one hundred and forty
thousand pounds. They s1uandorcd
however, this enormous sum in gam
bling and dissipation and when thciI
mine became suddenly exhausted
they bad not even the wrctchcd pit
tance loft on which they had begun.
The history Of the discoverers o
the famous Allison Ranch in Nevada