National Republican., 1877-07-09
A POOR MANS BONANZA.
How the Sum Of $4,000 Was Melted In
Three Days.

Three Days.
From TIE Cincinnati inquirer.
The following gold discovery took place in
California within the past three weeks. 1t is
specimen Of the unrecortied strikers occurring
from time to time In q country sometimes sup
posed to be worked out" Had the incident
happened in the Black Hills, II would by this
time have been told In ten thousand papers
This story, relating how fortune was made
in three days near Auburn, Placer county is
from the Placer Herald:
The richest strike made In this country for
many years, and as rich perhaps rs was ever
made, we here have the pleasure of recording.
A. o. Bell, commonly called Pike Bell who,
with his family, has resided for many years
on Bald Hill, o few miles north of Auburn, as
many know, Is dauntless prospector.
Though occasionally making strike Of some
considerable importance In the past, he has
managed, like most modern prOspectors, to
keep poor. Last winter, In particular, he was
In very straitened 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 children, and, failing in his efforts to
sacrifice his horse, he pawned the ring of his
wife's finger to obtain the necessaries Of life.
Day by day he continued his searches for the
glittering treasure, and whether the passing
day had revealed q color or not his spirits
were always jubilant, apparently kept up by
the hope that seemed never to desert him Of
doing better on the morrow.
At last the lucky day came. It was about
three weeks ago, when hunting around over
the hills he stuck his pick into little mound
which resemhled somewhat in appearance 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 descent Last Saturday he
had reached depth Of about thirty feet, and
had taken out in sinking that far rock esti.
mated to be worth about 81 500. The rock
being extremely rotten, or what Is called by
quartz miners decomposed he had with little
effort pounded out In 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 rot
ten to be properly called q ledge, was discov,
cred by noon to have become suddenly richer
In the afternoon chunks of almost pure gold
were taken out, and the decomposed stuff that
filled the interstices between the rocks was 50
rich in gold that Pike began to wash 1t out
with pan. From three panfuls washed Mon
day afternoon he obtained gold estimated to bt
worth between $4,000 and 5000. That even
ing he came into town, and giving us hint Of
what he had got, invited us to go and see 1t
iff Mccormick, we visited the mine. We found
Bell with pan of gold in his hand worth from
81 900 to 81 500, which, he assured us, all cam,
from one pan of dirt But" said he, "if yOr
don't believe it, will wash another pan ant
show you" We told him to wash. The par
was sent down into the shaft and soon returned
filed with mass Of muddy, rocky stuff tina
sparkled all over with pieces of gold. Thi
was washed and found to contain fully as mucl
of the precious metal, II not more, than tn
one he had just finished panning when we ar
rived.
1t was really the greatest sight we eve
saw, and Mccormick, who had mined In Cali
fornia in its palnicst days, says 1t knock
spots off anything he ever saw except on on
particular occasion. Bell, having convince,
us of the richness of his mine, took us to hi
house to show us the proceeds Of the previou
days panning, that we might be convinced O
what he had told us. The sight was one NOR
easily imagined than realized. As we locke
upon the pans of gold before us we thought Q
Aladdin and his magic lamp, and wondere
whether the story had not been suggested b.
some such reality as was before us. o
, Wednesday evening Mr.. Bell Ot is "Mr." now
, since he has lots Of gOld-it was Pike before
was in town again, and he informed us tina
, what We saw was nothing; that he had take
, out $4,000 in three pans that day; that he ha
taken out, all told, up to that time, betwee
$50 900 and S35,0O0 and that he had an Ohe
and was about to sell for $4,000. When aske
his notion for selling, he said he would &C
away with about $50 900, and that was none
stake, and, when we consider that II was mad
in three days, II must be confessed that tn
chances for making sudden fortune In Cal
| fnrnia ara not all pnna