The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-03-30
A SHOT FOR LUCK.
How Despondent Miner at Last Filled
His Sack with Gold.

From the Boulder (Colorado) News and Courier.
Some time last spring the owner of the
Emerson took up an extension of that lode,
naming it the Concord. When only five feet
down they sold out--one third interest to s.
B. Sutherland and the other two-thrds to
G. f. Geer, of Boulder, and a brother of his
who lives in Ogdensburg, New York. Mr..
Sutherland was poor man, but practical
miner His labor was put up against that of
two men furnished by the Messrs. Geer, who
are capitalists, and the work of development
| 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 a true eXtention of the Emerson crevice
Mr.. Sutherland continued his work all
summer and fall without faltering, though
| thestoilsome days yielded nothing 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 to borrow money to pay taxes
| on his little house. Sill lie plucky miner
picked away at the obhurately worthless
granite, brekaing 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 new
dress or the baby a new rattle. His friends
| advised him to give it up. "Knowing ones''
! declared it was only "blow out" and he
| had exhausted the pay the first fifteen feet
would never get another cent, ETC., etc. All
| through January he worked OH with unabated
energy, but with heart growing heavier as
| each day made it seem more likely that he
would at last be forced to abandon the under
taking and yield his hopes of fortune.
February came. A mortgage was coming
due OH the little home. Creditors grew
impatient. The wife, growing nervous and
despondent on shope deferred" which
''maketh tie heart sick," spent days in weep
ing. aud every night pied with her husband
to quit and go to work where he could earn
something. At last he began himself to be
discouraged and made up his mind to give ur
the Concord, but--he would work the week
out. On Tuesday he stood in the bottom OF
the shaft, locking disconsolately at the pile
of worthless s'gang rock'' and rubbish that
must be hoisted to the surface before he could
90 down any further. He picked up drill
drew sigh and said to himself: "While the
boys are cleaning out I'll put in shot here
just for luck" By the time the boys had the
bottom cleared the shot was in, and when II
went off he put the rock in the bucket and
told those on top to dump that on one side
till lie should come up. This was on Tuesday
but he never thought to look after the product
of his 'shot for luck" until Thursday. Care
lessly eXaming it then his practced eye dis
covered small piece which made his hear
leap with new hope. He hurried down The
shaft, got things in shape and by Saturday pu
in blast where he now felt sure the long
lost streak lay hid. When that shot went of
he gathered up sack full of glittering speci
mems that, to look at, would make old Mida
himself smile again. We saw few pieces a
Mr.. Geers rooms and could not rest until W,
had looked at the whole bag full. So il
company with a friend to introduce us, W.
called on Mr.. Sutherland and were kindl,
permitted to overhaul the lot--about half
bushel-of pieces ranging in weight from al
ounce or two up to seventeen pounds, AM
not piece that does not show free gold or tn
still richer vein of telluride of gold. Expert
estimate the value of the sack at not less thar
$1,000! And now MIR. Sutherland is sur
that he can work right back toward the SUI
face--as well as downward and laterall
along the lode--and find the rich streak a.
the way.