The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-10-06
Struck it Rich.

MOUNTAIN Mine, dnt the EXTRAORDINARY
dividends realized BY the stockholders.
most Of whom are residents Of 81 Louis.
has given an impetus 70 local operations
in mines and mining stock which bids
fair 10 establish here a market OF consid-
erable note. That it i a pleasant sensa-
ton - awaken in the morning u the
fact that enc Is the unexpected os ner Of
millions, * without saving and vet ii
Is not % very uncommon a. one might
suppose Many have been theue, and
where i the dealer in mining stocks or
the poor prospeetor in whom good for
tune may not repeat the story Of Mackay,
Stanford. O'Brien, Flood. Jones, and hun
/ dreds Of others? among them in this city
/ Gus Ewing, A. B. Colt. John Field and
others. not to mention r. c. Kerens. who
Is interested with steve Elkins, Blaine'-
cd henchHan, in several paying mines
/ in Colorado and New Mexico. The late
Jerome B. Chaffee Was also a partner
with Kerens in several mining enterpris-
! & which panned out we'll
/ Chaff,.e, by the way, was one of the no
bIesi characters that graced the western
mining districts in the flush DAYS when
/ all men were brothers all were on the
square divide and to be known a the
s. whitest nlan in camp which was
/ Chaffee's reputation-was an enviable
distinction. More than one poor miner
/ in the olden days owes his subsequent
success to ChafFee's kindness in giving
I his foot a secure resting place on the lad-
( der Of fortune Among those who were
+ blessed with his projecting friendship
/ was ex-senator Tom Bowen. OF Colorado
/ It was in the poker and prospecting pe-
I Rod of Bowen's career. when he wa rich
/ one day and went supperless to bed the
next Tom on that particular occasion
/ vas experiencing an unusually
4 HARD STREAK or Luck.
He wandered around the streets Of
! Denver without any shirt on Clutehing
a threadbare, buttonIess, swallow-tail coat
with his half-frozen hands to keep the
+ cold vind out. and wondering where and
how he wa going 70 catch on next, when
he was met BY Chafsee Bowen tried 70
/ dodge around a corner-he had known
I Chatfse short time before when he was
( fush-but Chaffee darted after and cap
ture,i him. After a brief conversation
/ Chaffee presented Bowen with SIe0 in
cash told him to strikeout for the mines
and when the money was al TO come
I back for more. Bowen went = directed.
He pottered around awhile On the Del
/ Norte river, and finally struck ore in the
Little aimee, which was the foundation
Of large fortune
Ed smith was another old miner who
benefited from Chaffee's generosity.
smith was pioneer. He had been all
over Colorado when the gold fever first
broke ont, but when he met Chaffee he
was nearly broke In exchange for
practical information concerning sur
face Indications" and other points on
mining. Chafee gave Smith the money
u starr ont afresh, and the result was the
( discovery of silver mine which for
long time paid smith over s25.o0o Ier
annum.
\ very successfuI Eastern operator in
mines : Colonel Letter, hate of the big
I Chicago dry goods firm Of Marshall Field
+ < Co. Letter took Ell stevens under his
+ wing along in the early days Of Leadville
and bv stevens advice sot bold Of a share
in nine claims which netted him eloss TO
( ss.OO0.000. Letters interest in these
mines stood him about s4000 all told
stevens. his partner in the enterprise VS.
the first man TO discover that the ore Al
LeadvilIe was silver and not iron. Il the
rniners in the neighborhood had original
" thought it. He was in reality the
founder Of Lea,dville, and in addition Wa,
one Of the best posted practical miners in
the West
GOV. Rorrr. oF COLORADO,
who Will De remembered as a delegate to
the National Cattle Convention which
was held in St. Louis last year, enjoys
/ the distinction of being perhaps the only
/ Governor Of a State who ever actually
handled the pick in mine, during his
term Of office a. Chief Executive Routt
went ont to LeadyilIe, took the mining
fever. and started in prospecting. His
/ luck was bad. and ne was compelled sew
eral times to change his location. of
+ course II cost him considerable money t.
carry on his operations. and beinga poor
man. NJ was soonlreduce.i To the necesSi- /
" of mortelging hi~ household furniture
/ in or,ler 10 procure food Tor his family.
He hauie,I,hrtlsh with an old one-eyed
mule and slapped up a temporary abode
near his digrins, removed his e.at and
sailed in again, in frantic effort t. -triks
the silver All this time he was Colo
radios 0oyernor. and his mining com
pinions with the Free Masonry Of the
Wild West guyed him unmercifully
Work ss hard as he might the Govern
or's affairs did not seem 10 improve any. (
on the contrary, they grew worse Elbid- /
IL. Things continued in this way for
some little time, until Routt was nearly /
destitute and on the verge Of absolute I
starvation. when one bright eyening
the sun giinted across piece Of shining
ore which his pick had iurnei up. The /
Governor dropped everything innnedi-
ately and tr.mPed into Leadvllle. He
bought the best house and lot in the city /
in which he Installed his flmily comfort (
ably. He Is to-day free. epen-bearted, .
generous gentleman, and deserves al his I
success.
THE STORY or RLsBY,
the drunken Denver shoemaker, VINO
wa grut-siaked by Tabor and unezisrf- +
,.,ily struck it rich near Leadvilie. : wen
known. Tabor's fortunate investment il
salt horse and whisky for RiSby nette-f
hun fortune which : estimated It
nearly ss.O00.0d0. Risby also made great
deal Of money. bur he WAS reckless
character. and most OF it slipped through
his fneere He has to-day about s2u.e0
left
Senator Hill, of Colorado, was an ex-
professor of chemistry at Browns Uni
versity when he went to Black Hawk.
He WAS well posted on the values Of ores
and had previously spent short time at