Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1885-07-09
A STREAK OF LUCK.
An Old Prospector discovers a Rich
Mine, Which a Stroke of Light
ming Unearthed.

I
You know, I have not prospected
recently, owing to rheumatism which
has kept me at home nearly all spring.
Well, last week the old fever seized
me again, and [ thought I'd have to
take a turn at gold hunting. So lock-
ing up my cabin and taking my tools
and outfit, I mounted my horse and
started over the mountains. (The old
man would not say IN what direction
he went, being very ,sealous Of his dis
covery.) It was a fine, bright day
when I started, but when [ got to the
top of the divide, rain began to pour
down from the clouds which had been
gathering for some time. Thinking,
from the experience of a few days be-
fore, that another violent storm was
imminent, I spurred up my horse and
soon gained clump of trees some
distance down the mountain side. By
this time the lightning was flashing
wildly, and the thunder was sound
ing louder and louder at every clap,
SO I dismounted, tied my horse to a
sapling near by and sought shelter
and protection for myself at the foot
Of a dwarfed pine. [ did not fear the
lightning as there was wooded butte
considerably higher than my position
a short distance from me- One side
of this butte was composed Of rocks
and boulders piled one upon another
in all sorts of shapes, while the other
side was covered with dense timber.
[ had my eye fixed upon this butte
when flash of lightning, almost
binding in its brilliancy, shot across
the sky, and [ saw the rocks on the
butte fly in every direction, as my
eyes closed and insensibility overcame
me- I did not even hear the clap Of
thunder that must have accompanied
the stroke, SO quickly did I relapse
into Inconsistencies As near as I
can now tell, this was about noon, and
when [ recovered consciousness it was
6 o'clock, but whether the same even
ing or the next [ had no means Of
knowing. The sun was still above
the horizon and the rain had ceased
and the clouds had cleared away. On
rising to my feet [ found my limbs
stiff with pain and felt very weak I
looked after my horse and found the
beast stretched on the ground dead
from stroke of lightning. In walk
ing toward the horse I found the
ground for many yards around cover
ed with fragments Of rock from the
shattered butte, and on looking to-
ward that eminence / hardly recog-
nized its altered shape. Picking up
some pieces Of the rock lying on the
ground [ found it was a species Of
quartz; and thrill shot through me
as | discovered traces OF gold in it
Picking up some more Of it and ex-
amining it my excitement increased
until in a frenzy Of joy seemed to
forget my rheumatics, and ran like
boy toward the shattered butte. The
whole top Of the rocky hill had been
torn up by the lightning. leaving ex-
posed clean surface of quartz, which
one glance sUficed to tell me was
vein of gold ore. l Clipped pieces off
the ledge and loaded myself down
with the rock. Never have / seen finer
ore The vein is three feet wide and
well defined, and the ore is remark
able for its easily reducible charac-
ter. Here is a specimen of it." and
the Old man drew from under his roll
Of blankets a large lump Of ore, in
which the native gold could be seen
with the naked eye scattered all
through it. He continued: Il got $500
out of that which I brought down
with me from lightning Butte,
which is the name of my mine. I
pounded it out in that mortar, point
ing to an implement Of that descrip-
tion on the table.) My fortunes made,
my boy, and all through by being
struck by lightning Herald