The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-07-12
POOR MANS BONANZA.
How the sum of $4,000 Was Melted in
Three Days.

How the sum of $4,000 Was Melted in
Three Days.
The following gold discovery took
place in California within the past three
weeks. 1t is specimen of the unre-
corded 50 strikes" occurring from time
to time in country sometimes suppOs-
ed to be worked out" Had the incident
happened in the Black Hills, it would
by this time have been told in 10000
papers. This story, relating how for
tune was made in three days near Au-
burn, Placer County, is from the Placer
Herald:
The richest strike made in this coun-
try for many years, and as rich perhaps
as was ever made, we here have the
pleasure of recording. A. o. Bell, COM
monty called Pike Bell, who, with
his family, has resided for many years
on Bald Hill, few miles north of Au-
burn, as many know is dauntless
prospeetor. Though occasionally max
portance in the past, he has managed,
ike most modern prospectors, to keep
poor. Last winter in particular, he was
in very Strengthened circumstances, and
having no money, and the merchants
refusing to credit him, he offered his
only horse, worth about $50 for $40,
that he might buy bread for his chill
dren, and falling in his efforts to sacri-
flee his horse, he pawned the ring of
his wife's finger to obtain the necessa-
ries of life. Day by day he continued
his searches for the glittering treasure,
and whether the passing day had re-
vealed a color or not his spirits were
always iubilant, apparently kept up by
the hope that seemed never to desert
him of doing better on the morrow. At
last the lucky day came. 1t was about
three weeks ago, when hunting around
over the hills he struck his pick into a
little mound which resembled somewhat
the appearance of an ant hill, and to
his delight he unearthed some pieces of
decomposed quartz, attached to which
were some colors of gold. Encouraged
at this prospect he began to sink on his
new lead, and was rewarded by finding
more or less gold at every stage of de-
scent. Last Saturday he had reached a
depth of thirty feet, and had taken out
in sinking that far rock estimated to be
worth $1,000 The rock being extreme
ly rotten, or what is called by quartz
miners decomposed, he had with little
effort pounded out in a mortar enough
to pay expenses as he progressed. He
had hired men to assist him in working
the mine, and on last Monday morning
they went to work as usual. The gouge,
as we would call it, as it
is too rotten to be properly called
a ledge, was discovered by noon
to have become suddenly richer. In
the afternoon chunks of almost pure
gold were taken out, and the decompos-
ed stuff that filled the interstices between
the rock was so rich in gold that Pike
began to wash it out with pan. From
three pans full washed Monday after
noon he obtained gold estimated to be
worth between $4,000 and $4,000
That evening he came into town, and
giving us a hint of what he had got,
invited us to 90 out and see it. On
Tuesday afternoon, in company with
Sheriff Mccormick, we visited the mine.
We found Bell with pan of gold in
his hands worth from 81 900 to $500,
which he assured us, all came from one
pan of dirt. But SAID he, ''if you
don't believe it, will wash another pan
and show you" We told him to wash.
The pan was sent down into the shaft
and soon returned filled with a
mass of muddy, rocky stuff that
sparkled all over with pieces of
gold. This was washed out and
found to contain fully as much of the
precious metal, if not more, than the
one he had just finished panning when
we arrived. 1t was really the greatest
sight we ever saw, and Mccormick, who
had mined in California in its palmiest
days, says it knocks spots off any thing
he ever saw except on one particular
occasion. Bell having convinced us of
the richness of his mine, took us to his
house to show us the proceeds of the
previous days panning, that we might
be convinced of what he had told us
The sight was one more easily imagined
than realized. As we looked upon the
pans of gold before us we thought of
Aladdin and his magic lamp, and won
dered whether the story had not been
suggested by some such reality as was
before us. On Wednesday evening Mr..
Bell Git is 'sMr.'' now since he has lots
of gold-it was Pike before) was in town
again and he informed us that what we
saw was nothing that he had taken out
$4,000 in three pans that day; that he
had taken out, all told, up to that time,
between $4,000 and S35, 600, and that
he had an offer and was about to sell for
$4,000. When asked his notion for
selling, he said he would get away with
about $4,000 and that was money
enough for him. To be sure it is a good
stake, and when we consider that it was
made in three days, it must be confessed
that the chances for making sudden
fortune in California are not all gone.
The Story of a "Sweet Girl
Graduate 8,