The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1880-01-02
MINERS YARNS.
THE BIGGEST THING A PRosPEcToR EVER
sTRucK-A CATARACT OF QuIcKsILyER.

THE BIGGEST THING A PRosPEcToR EVER
sTRucK-A CATARACT OF QurcKsILvER.
The day was hot at Frisco, Utah, and
the three drank beer and talked. 1t ap-
peared from their conversation that they
had all had more or less experience in pros
pecting. One said:
aThe biggest thing ever struck was
when me an Newt Bowdon was prospectin'
and when one day we felt the earth kinder
tremblin' an saw smoke on the top OF q
mountain. We climbed up to the top
twas long pull. When we got there we
found it was volcano. Twas all bilin'
in the crater. One place in the crater was
lower than t'other parts, en- cliff stuck
right down from this low place; it went
down bout 700 feet. The earth kept trem-
blin'. A stream bout 20 feet wide by five
deep run outen the crater, or gap, and made
clear jump TOO feet down." -
"Water ?" interrupted one of the listen
ers. "Pooty hot, wasn't it ?"
"Water twas quicksilver"
"Quicksilver e'
"You bet. We went down to the foot
Of the fall. The stream of quicksilver from
the fall run few hundred yards an sunk.
It kept trsmblin'.
"The quicksilver went below; heavy, you
know. Me an Newt both got sick I; he
sicker than me. He kept gittin' worse, an
died before could get him to camp. got
to camp an was sick for months !; was SAL
ervated. My teeth all came out. hain't
q tooth now, nor toe nails, nuther."
"Why didn't you 60 back to the quick
silver?'
"Fraid er gettin' salervated again. 1t
killed Newt, you know"
Number two said:
"Well, the richest discov'ry ever made
one time when was by myself. saw a
bluff bout three miles off it had queer
look. went to 1t; twas morn thousan'
feet high, an nearly every bit of it was
solid native silver. You could walk long
an look at it for mile 'thont seein' any
thin but pure silver. Some places silver
had oozed out while the cliff was hot, and
made things like big icicles-some of 'em
was hangin' down 500 feet long. I located
bout three miles of the ledge an left.'
Glow come you SO poor ?" asked the
first speaker.
"Well, I'd got back in days ride OF
camp, an was pack,n' up one mornin' after
breakfast; as come to the frying pan my
mule bad one him foot in it, an tapped
him on the leg to make him step outin it,
an he up an kicked me on the head"
"But be didn't break your head ?'
"No; but can't remember distances
since"
The third one began:
"I was by myself, too, when struck /
big. One day was prospectin' through a,
open country, an travelled on until afte
night, tryin' to find water. At last rod
over ridge, an noticed that my mules shoe
kept clickin' against somethin'. had t
fine young mule. There was valley a
the bottom of the ridge, an water. wen
to sleep, an walked up when it began Il
be day, but rolled over an slep' again. Mex
time walked, the sun was up, but coult
not hold my eyes open until I'd tried lonl
time, there was such glitter -
"Mica ?" asked one.
"Gold sir Gold everywhere ! I'd thrown
part of my blanket over chunk to make
pillar; the chunk was gold, solid gold Th
ridge I'd come over was gold, solid gold
On 'tother side Of the valley was mountain
of gold, risin' up and glitterin' in the sur
E shine. One high mountain had snow o
the top, but was gold up to the snow. Fe
lers, that mountain looked like picter. II
les begun to think my bacon eatin' day
was over when three men come up to me
two young men an one ole man. Judg
= from their actions-I couldn't understan
= their talk-the young fellers wanted to XII
d me-, but the ole chap persuaded 'em not te
They all had gold buttons on their clothe
Q an heel taps an tap-soles of gold. The o
man was smokin' a gold pipe, with Ion
? gold stem. They blin' folded me an le
me away" ..s
i The narrator stopped and seemed to
!. retrospecting.
4 swell, did they lead you far?" he wi
/. asked. ... .-.s. 2. '....
d "Seems to me listened to the clink
! them tap soles an heel for ten thousar
l. miles"
ut "Was they long about itP'
"When lard down in that gold valls
IL that night, though say 1t myself, l vi
young and good lookin'; my beard was
black as crow; an hair thick as dog
g but when they left me, an got out of hea
4 in, an uncovered my eyes. 10y beard W
J. gray"
n can your head? ?" .--.
% "Like it is now, not hair on 1t.
B. "What became Of your fine your
= mule ?''
"a "The ole man rode 1t on the trip till
"a fell dead of ole age"