The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1885-11-05

-bM NVe
Hunting Gold N~ggsts.
An old Miner who followed the gold
excitement 10 its devious wanderings in
Australia, California, Mexico, and British
Columbia. related to Call reporter few
days ago several instances Of lucky dis
coveries.
"An old DutchmAn brought the plod-
ding method Of race TO the work OF gold
digging in Australia All OF bis compAn-
ions bad boldness and DASH but few bad
the stolid persisteney in the face Of bad
luck that the Dutchman possessed, He
had been plodding along for several
months digging tunnel. Heavy dull
clay was all about him. Not a promising
sign beckoned him on. He seemed to get
more settled in his determination TO work
the tunnel to the end the more unpromis-
ing it looked, He had been working on
in the face Of discouragement for severrl
months. Ono morning he was making
his way into his tunnel, and before he had
gone IA feet his heart sank within him.
There 10 front Of him was his tunnel
caved The path that he had laborously
dug into the hill was clogged with tons Of
earth. But the quality Of bis character
asserted itself. Most men would have
volleyed osths at his ill-luck, and packed
up their kit and left. The miner moved
more slowly than before, but he started to
work again in the same tunnel, He craw-
led into his tunnel and with his pick and
shovel set TO clearing away the hill OF
earth that blocked his path. He had not
struck dozen blows with bis pick before
the sharp iron point struck something
solid. Mechanically he bent.forward and
cleared away the earth, and there before
him was big nugget, as nuggets go,
weighing IA ounces. He crept out Of the
tunnel, bringing his precious nugget with
him, and when he got into the fresh air
and heard the birds singing, he sat down
and wept. No one begrudged the Dutch
man his luck
"A nugget country that has been only
partially worked is just as good field as
virgin soil, continued the miner. "rhe
spots that have not been touched may be
the very nests of the precious metal. II
is dangerous to leave single foot Of
ground unworked. The fortune Of life
time might thus be passed by and lost
forever. There are many Instances Of just
such cases.
"The Mount Moliagul nugget was
found 10 most peculiar place. There
was an unusually rich diggings in the vi
cinity Of Mount Moliagul. Victoria, that
had made hundred men rich. II had
been thoroughly worked in every direc.
tion, and it was thought that every grain
Of gold in the neighborhood had been ool
lected. The crowd that once made the
camp busy scene Of life dissolved as
quickly as it had collected, leaving the
shanties to the mercy Of the weather,
which soon made them picturesque ruin.
of toward the east there was o solitary
tree stump. standing on pillar Of earth
that bad not been cut away by the gold
hunters brcansc OF the old roots OF the
tree that spread through the soil II was
not more than ten feet in circumference
that had been left by the diggers One
day two miners caf,e TO the deserted
camp, and stopped over night on the site
Of the old camp. The stump struck one
Of them as a singular feature of lbe Old
diggiues. and being skillful miner. he
knew that one part Of nugget country
was as likely to hide the precious metal as
another II occurred 10 him that the
ground under the stump was as likely ioI
prove rich as The portions OF th. neigh
boring field that had yielded SO much
gold. He resolved to work the little
mound the next day. His companion,
however, was anxious TO be Of 10 the lat
est diggings. where the excitement was
ct the higest pitch. But tie first miner
who bad resolved to explore the solitary
patch Of the deserted ground, persuaded
his partner aud together they set to work
on the old stump. They began by iunder
mining one side Of the stnmr. but before
they bad dug 10 three feet they discovered
an enormous nugget, one Of the most val
liable that bad been found in the whole
diggiqgs. They coniiuned their Iabors
and nprooteA III stamp bnt did not find
another grain Of gold San FrD.cisco
Call