Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1884-10-14
MYSTERIOUS MINES.
TantiIizinE Richness. Discover
ed hut not Secured--Pros-
poetOTs Dreaming of Un-
IoId Wealth.

Written for the Calico Print
Here # might be we'll to mention two very
very singular finds Of rich gold ore tha
were made In the Old COso district. one By
IN French. In $50 consisting Of mass ol
iuat rock OF about tiO pounds IA weight
lying ON hillside apparently ~ II dumped
IN one pile from the sale Of which he red.
lied several thousand dollars the other was
found Ia 1874 by Lime " iftin aud John shipe
and consisted u block Of quartz some two
feet In width fifteen long aud four feet high
also penetrating the ground to depth Of
ak feet. From this mass ~ quartz they
realized some four thousand dollars. There
Is no myth about these finds, but actual req.
hlities. some we're Inclined 10 think that
the latter might have been tile Alvord mine
but the ore ia either ease was not Of the
same quality a. that II the Alyofd speci.
mems
II wonld bc impossible for tho reader Of
the present day to realize the Interest that
was taken by the pfospectofs Of those days,
from 20 to g. and how frequently and with
what Interest the subject was brought up
around the camp fires,
Men would form IN parties Of five or six
aud start usually from keyesyllle on Kern
river, aud their movements were watched
with deep interest by all, sud when they
would return all were eager 10 hear he re-
suit Of the trip. The writer wK personally
acquainted with many Of these early pho.
neets Of the desert, and thinking thu per
haps this may meet the eye Of some df them.
he VIII name several as gentle reminder
OF old times. II for nothing more Or a.
George, Jas, Farley, jim llitChlugs. Darwin
French, Lebe Leslie VIM HendcfsOnj Frank
WhltsOn, Joe sumner, Lime Martin and
John Shlpe. These men were practical
minors only In n limited degree they knew
gold ore when they saw H. but had very !
uttle knowledge Of silver ores or the man
ner Of treating them. hence their time was
given principally 70 prospecting Tor sold IL |
was from them that knowledge OF water
and springs was gained that helped the |
pfJsDgptOf In later yC lrA.
Occasionally one or two men would start |
out ON the desert and never return one |
such Instance bore considerable mystery, |
ind In mrnucr forms also another lost |
mine 10 add Ia the first. In the fall OF 1862 |
Two men came Into the station Of Little |
owens Lake. They had n single Jack, aud |
looked ~ though they had been on long |
Journey They said they had been out on |
the desert prospecting They went on 10 |
Keyesville and In u short time returned |
having three Jacks well loaded with SUP |
plies The writer hero saw them, and asked |
where they were going. "Oh, ont towards |
Death Valley was all the answer he could |
get In regard to their having found any |
thing previous, they would not say, but that |
they were well supplied with tools was quite
evident, having large mortar, n hand saw,
picks, shOvels, etc, They took nm eastward |
course from Little Lake. regardless Of all
trails, and they were never again seen or
heard Of, and M the Indians of that region
broke out n few months afterwards, II Is sup
posed they were killed and IL thOy had a
gold mine of some value. II still romans un-
discovered.
This was followed the next year by another
mystery, Two men were travelling In com.
pany through from Aurora to Kcyesvillc
They cimped for the night on the sferr vs. nj
Chimney Meadows, At the head Of Niue Mile
Canyon, shortly after making camp, II
stranger came up. lie said he had been out
on the desert aud was out OF grub They Of
course shared with him, and after supper
engaged In game of cards Soon quarrel
arose between the stranger and the Othettw
I he result being that the stranger received
death blow from stick Of wood, aud was
buried by the murdeters who upon looking
over his things, found some quartz Of pc
Guitar character, md from appearances but
recently broken of the ledge They cached
the most of this ore and returned 10 Aurnrs
not wishing under the circumstances 10 20 on
to keyesville one Of these men afterw lrds
spent considerable time IN trying 10 find the
mine, but without success. The peculiarly
Of the ore consisted In It's being q white
quartz, stained with green carrying sulphur
cts of copper In mlssive form, aud pure gold,
also metallic copper, mingled with and dis
persed through the sulphurets. No mine
with ore of that character has ever been
found upon the desert, to the writer's knowl
edge,
Then following this came the celebrated
nRyrOGLE MINE,
Along about 1860 or &C. This was nothing
more than another Alvord find, and gave
rise to M many different stories, Bryf0gle
southwark from Belmont in
Nevada, to the desert, and of couIse got
lost. Upon his return others went out with
him to find his mine, specimens of which he
exhibited, telling some that 1t was from
float, aud others that he had found the
ledge, Hundreds OF dollars besides weeks
and months q travel have been wasted In
the vain search for this mine. There IRE
several other lost mines Of quite recent Il tie,
but which have attracted little attention
to those of earlier date, and pros
pecting on the desert has become very
undesirable occ lpation, horse feed aud
still as time rolls on men will be found |