New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-06-29
CEUR D'ALENE SILVER.
STRUCK AT LAST on EAGLE CREEK.
A FoRLoRN HOPE CROWNED WITH SUCCESS IN
wISTRY WILDERNESS.

wGSTRY WILDERNESS.
| [FROM A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF The TRlbuNt"I
| IyCAMP IN THE CGUR D'ALENEs June 10
The long gap which thrust itself into correspond
ence necessitaed by the fact that nave TOT
some time been hOpeessy OF reach of any means Tor
the conveyance OF letters have been prospecting
prospectine for quartz. The party OF which was one
consisted OF five individuals. three OF whom were Oh
prospectors; and the country through which have
been wandering chosen as being the least explored
and most nearly inaccessible portion o: the whole dis
| trict Indeed. when started up what Is known a.
EARLE Crock 40 little explored had been that far
| We know no white man had been there before u.s. 1t
took days to make way nine miles up the creek
and in all time not footmark on the level
snow save track occasional deer or Dear ana 10
sign o. habltation beyond the beaycrdams across the
stream Day after dag there nothing but the deep
spow and the stll twilight Of the thick pine for
ests All day long we had TO push our way
| through the snow. sometimes mp to our hps some
times 10 ar1n-pts and sometimes when We ie over
our heads and ears. II wading than walking
and our progress discretionary slow. Al nlght
we shovelled the for space large enough to
light fire in and to give room to curl up In our
blankets and 20 sleep.
But what OF the mines were looking Tor Dld we
find no boulders sreaked with god-not even the least
hit Of nugget-a this time No; this country is not
ostenatou it, gold There is none OF the bad taste OF
the primary richie IT. and we did not hhd
the surface OF the snow studded with twenty-dollar
pieces nor did the pine trees deck themselves out III
golden hagrcc But something we did find Now ana
then along the creek lay bouders-lumps OF float
rock Commonplace looking rock enough, too, appar-
emily; very Shiny and smooth from tho action OF the
water and all overgrown with and weeds But the
old prospectors in the party were Immensely Interested
I'm these everydaylookng bouders So we would take 1t
in turns 10 90 I'D 10 our knees tho freezing water to
pull them up the bank. Then what rubbing on OF
moss there was! What chipping and hammerng at 1t
with picks ana thngs What Osting for the fragments
that dew and no they were examined every men OF
them through magnytng glasses! Many OF these pieces
of float quartzite blue red many OF them now
ever were good white quartz with now and then trace
~ iron At length one day-we were then camped some
nine miles up the creek-a boulder split open ana
showed q streak OF greenish yellow. Gold' shrieked
one novice "Goldw echoed the other" Telurium" SAID
one Old prospector scarcely less eIcedy but the other
two said Yellow chorides oil silver and yeIo" cHio-
| rides OF silver we content 70 let II be.
Ono foat-boulder is not q mine however. The next
thing was to find the ledge from which this fragment
came After much dellberation and discussion on
"dirs" and formations and lodges II was DECIDED
that IL ought TO somewhere up the hill on the right
bank Of the creek. If there anything TO choose
betVeeu them the rCht-hand hill! seemed slightly the
worse OF two that 1t looked as II one o. the
tall pine away there at the top would TAIL II u
should fall straight down into our camp below WINE Tor
hundred feet aud below camp the front OF
the slope was covered with landslide OF loose blue rock
nm which IL was almost impossible 70 climb. We spent
lust eight days in that camp-a mere ten-foot mole dus
In the snow and half rooted over with split pine shingles
or shakes making short excursions every day up the
hill side wadng and scrambng aud tumbng Tor hours
through the deep snow and coming home at dusk to SIT
round the fire and compare the fragments OF many
coord rocks in our pockets and tell Of the deerracgs
we had seen and listen To the bioodTurdling near
stories and shooting Yarns Of the old hands In all 'ha
time out Of all the pockets-fuH OF rocks brought
into camp not gave any token OF coming from ledge
| that worth locating
-KTbe ninth day was the worst and stormiest had
ssen The wind whistled up the gulch drowning even
the elamor OF creek rOared through the branches
of the pines and and then the crash Of q l%lhg
| tree would sound through the valley ABOVE the
storm The air was full Of drifting snow, and now
and again little avalanche would break through the
ouen mart Of our hmsy and half put out the IRE
No prospecting to-day" all agreed at breakfasts
but about the middle OF the morning there came iu
| the storm, and suddenly "chip! chip! chlpI" We All
heard distinctly the sound Of hammer away up on the
rocks aDo us here said one Of the old prospec
tors {" The DOCTOR" we called him. THAT mans Dot hall
mile away He ant going get on to this ledge before
us and II It's fine enough for him TO be out today us
fine. enough for SO here goes" ana on no
| claInbered out into the snow and tho re-a"aAeh
| ing storm. followed by one of the noVoes
Ii took old two hours to get up rev nunureu
feet 10 kind OF chimney OF rock ne had noueed me ua
before straight above camp The novice SAT GOWN ~
snOwdri halfway up and waited blt tne e sH
was nothing but the same blush quartzite we nad seen
every day fortnight and the old man SAT down as
gusted. He had only side or the culinheJ as
vet however and by climbing another dozen reef or So
he examine II all once for all Dut IL tooA
nealy quarter hour to caber round those dozen
feet through the roaring wind and swirling snow a.
Half an hour afterward there alarm III tue
camp below tumble, rush scramble something lor some
two things coming from the hill above " Bears
was the first thought and two Winchester rifles ana
sIshooer proruding from the door OF the snack IN
minute But instead OF bears muZzle, above the sho"
rose the bare rugged face OF the old prospecOr
and through the storm behind him dlmy sh0ne the tea
tnres OF the novice all agrin Grasped In both his hnus
the old prospecor cutched his hat which bued OUT
and angular with the rocks with when was cram nea
Rocks too all his pockets, and these he Slowly
proceedcd to the floor in grim silence NE
picked them up, b. and as through each was
seen the bright greenyelOw streak, silently shoOk
hands all round first with the old prospect0r-whO had
| NOT aid a woodland then with each other.
from that day the began 10 vanish, and as the
ground able to trace tho ledge away up 10
fbe hlll above aud down across the creek below.
After the orthodox 500 feet had been measured OUT
for the original claim, there still remained enough
| for an extension" either side. That on the
lower side which 1. 70 run almost under our
camp left the mercy OF your correspondent Tor
its christening and has been located now some weeks un
der the name OF The TRIBUNE so there little OF the
1.-THE yellow chordcs up Eagle" are now vol known
and much respected In carp Bat even with me eonso
ing knowledge the trip was not entirely Without
friit the metaOry o.. those weeks ID only lndinerenuy
mirthfui and time go on picnic for pleasure
it will not Coeur Aleno mountains when the
| snow Ia on the ground