Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-03-26
A Shot for Luck.

Some time last spring the owners Of
the Emerson took up an extension Of
that lode, naming II the Concord. When
only five feet down they sold Out-one-
third interest 70 3. B. Sutherland and
the other twO-thirds to G.. i. Geer, Of
Boulder, and brother OF his who lives
in Ogdeusburg, N. Y. Mr.. Sutherland
was a poor man, but practical miner.
His labor was put upagainst that Of two
men furnished by the Messrs. Geer,
who are capitalists, and the work Of de-
velopment went on. For the first ten
or fifteen feet good pay was taken out
in the form Of rusty and free gold.
Then the streak" was either lost or
played out. Confident that he was on
true extension Of the Emerson crevice
Mr.. Sutherland continued his work all
summer aud fall without faltering,
though the toilsOme days yielded moth
ing but barren rock. Week after week
and month after month wore away, each
more weary than the last, and still no
returns. He was getting in debt and
had 70 borrow money TO pay taxes on
his little house. Still the plucky miner
picked away at the obdurately worthless
granite, breaking and blasting a road
in the direction where he felt sure the
treasure lay. Christmas and New
Years came, and he hadn't money
enough to buy the wife a new dress or
the baby a new rattle. His friends ad-
vised him to give it up. Knowing
Onesn declared il was only a blow
out" and he had exhausted the pay the
first fifteen feet-wOuld never get
another cent, ETC., etc. All through
January he worked on with unabated
energy, but with heart growing heav-
ier as each day made it seem more
likely that he would at last be forced to
abandon his undertaking and yield his
hopes of fortune. February came. A
mortgage was coming due on the little
home. Creditors grew impatient. The
wife, grown nervous and despondent on
"hope deferred" " which maketh the
heart sick" spent days in weeping, and
every night pleaded with her husband
to quit and 90 to work where he could
earn something. At last he began him.
self to be discouraged and made up his
mind to give up the Concord, but
would work the week out. On Tues.
day he stood in the bottom of the shaft
looking discOnsOlately at the pile ol
worthless "gang rock' and rubbish
that must be hoisted to the surface be
fore he could go down any further. He
to himself: "While the boys are clean
ing out I'll put in a shot here, just fol
luck By the time the boys had the
bottom cleared the shot was in, and
when it went off he put the rock in the
bucket and told those above to dump
that on one side till he should come up
This was on Tuesday, but he never
thought to look after the product of hi
shot for luck" until Thursday. Care
lessly examining it then his praeticeC
eve discovered small piece which bOrt
the undisputable marks that made hi
heart leap with new hope. He hurriet
down the shaft, got things in shape an,
by Saturday put in a blast where h
now felt sure the long-lost streak La
hid. When that shot went off b
gathered up a sack full of glitterin,
specimens that, to look at, would max
old Midas himself smile again. w
! saw a few pieces at Mr.. Geer's room
and could not rest until we had locke
at the whole bag full. So, in cOmpan
J with friend to introduce us, we Gale
on Mrs. Sutherland and were kindl
a permitted to overhaul the lot-abou
half a bushtl--of pieces ranging i
weight from an ounce or two up t
> seventeen pounds, and not piece tha
does not show free gold or the sti
: richer vein of telluride of gold. E.
= perts estimate the value of the sack {
not less than S1,000l And now Nj
Sutherland is sure that he can wor
3 right back toward the surface-as we
as downward and laterally along IL
If lode-and find the rich streak all IL
q way.-Bostlier (Col.) Ne1OS and CotHie