Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1886-06-17
NUMBER 81

thinking no more Of the matter. After
several days he saw Hurley aud Hurley
asked lin where he got that rcck
that he brorg't % him. Singer
described the place as the prospectors had
told him, but told it as though he, Sing: (
er himself, had found it. Then Hurley
told Singer that it was immensely rich;
and that he had made several assays Of
it, and that the average was about
S32, 900 per ton, and was very urgent
that Singer should go with him and
show him the ledge. Singer was in 4
bad fix; he would have been. glad I'd
show the ledge, but then he could not, as
he did not know himself, and he did not
know the whereabouts Of the men that
had given him the rock, nor did he know
their names or address, and had no means
Of ascertaining, and so he had to stick to
his first assertion that he had found the
ledge, and make some excuse for declin-
ing to show the ledge. Large offers were
made to Singer il be would go and show
the ledge, among which was one made
by Col. james X. Kelly, afterwards U.
s. senator from Oregou But all Of no
avail. In the summer Of 1862 Col.
Kelly took pilgrimage to Oro Fino and
spent several days there prospecting to
find that ledge, from the description Of
the place that Singer had given. But
all to no purpose. It was while Kelly
was making this prospecting trip that he
first learned thnt the rock was found and
brought into camp by other parties than
Singer, and that the discoverers had gone
the year before and no one knew where,
During the summer Of 1862, after Hur-
ley had opened an assay Office at Lewis
ton, he met Col. Crockett one day in his
Office and related to him the circumstance
of Singer bringing the ore and telling
where he obtained it. The Colonel then
said that he thought the men bought
their outfit Of supplies at his tent, and
that they afterwards came back and
brought -four sack Of dark rock aud ex-
hibitcd it on his counter and asked him
if he knew anything about quartz He
told them no did not and they said they
would pack it no further and left it, and
went away. He said that short time
afterwards he wanted to use the -four
sack and he empticd the quartz out on
his ground floor in his tent and took the. !.
sack, aid when he took his tent down
the rock was still there and that he bad
no doult that some Of it was still there
on the ground and that he would exam
inc when he returned to Orc Fino. He
did so and when he again came to Lew
iston he brought some Of it with him to
Hurley. The latter took it and made
an assay of it, and found it to be the
same class Of ore, which convinced the
Colonel and Hurley that they
were the same parties that had given the
samples to Singer But no Que knew
where the ore came from, nor where the
men came from, nor where they had
gone. They were satisfied that it was
genuine find, and that the men who
found it knew not its value. Much spec
ulation existed for years about where the
men came from and where they found
the ore, but all were convinced that they
found it while absent from Gro Fino in
the mountains east Of Orc Fino, and that
had they ever learned of its value they
would have gone back.
We have given these facts as we knew
them to exist at the time, and that some
day the ledge will be found and will cre-
ate greater sensation among mining
men than any ledge that has been found
on the coast. Let prospectors have an
eye to looking for this find. Those who
are anxious to learn more can call upon
Richard Hurley, Oregon City, Mr.. Singer
Oregon City, Col. J. X. Kelly, Portland,
Col. Crocket is now dead. If ground
is not dug up where Col. Crocket's tent
stood there may yet be samples Of ore still
remaining about what was then his prem
ises. Some of the old residents of Pierce
City may remember where Col. Crocket
had his tent for place of business in 1861
snd '62. The Colonel did not get all the
samples when he brought them to Hurley.