The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1886-09-25

search for the wOndrOus Gunslght
mine, that was reported to have
been discovered near the Nevada
line about twenty-five years ago, has
been continued. and many bleach
ing human skulls lie on the burning
desert. the only evidence of the adj
venturers who went out to find the
golden treasure. Many times, says
the Los Angeles Herald, it has been
reported found, but on careful OBJ
servation it has been discovered
that the real mine was not the lost
and fabulous Gunsight, but yet the
spirit of adventure lived and thrived
and the persons who had seen the
specimens of gold from the opulent
region believed with a firm faith
that they could find the long-lost
region of richness.
In firm, brave faith about a month
ago, a party left Los Angles to
search for the golden glory of the
Pacific slope 1t consisted of a. F..
Judson, A. ID. Spring and Barney
Carter. They went by team via
Cajon pass down the Mojave, over
Mojave desert in a northeasterly
direction from Barstow, passing by
Blacks rancho and south of Pana-
mint around the foot of the Amar-
gosa mountains into the caldron of
fire. Death Valley, under the fer
vent heat of an August sun. Their
object was to follow as nearly as
possible the supposed trail that the
lamented Goulder followed when
he discovered vast placers of gold
and gathered it like the cleaning of
a field of ripened grain.
Into the dazzling white plain
then they went, the burning sand
scorching their sore and swollen
feet, and through the green goggles
over their eyes the rejecting blaz-
ing light nearly ruined the sight of
their Weekend eyeballs.
To add to the horrors of the scene
the bones of the emigrants and
prospectors, mules, burros and oxen
lay on the plain where the possess
ors of these skeletons died from
thirst, heat or starvation.
The party followed the north star
toward the land of their hopes.
Occasionly a great vulture sailed
above them, waiting to see when
one of the party would perish to
furnish him coveted meal. In the
back ground the barren mountain
cliff. where no blade of grass ever
grew to gladden. the eye, afforded
no relief, while the heat was terri
BILE, and beyond the waste of shining
sand and fantastic forms of rugged
rocks bounded the horizon and
seemed to sink into the ocean of a
deep blue sky. After passing out
of the north end of the valley, they
entered the east range of the Amar-
gosa mountains. Here they became
bewildered and utterly lost. The
water barrels became dry and
shrunk and fell to pieces, while the
wagon shrunk and fell apart. For
tunately in that country wood never
decays, and pieces of the old wagons
of 40 were found from time to time
where the emigrants had burned a
part of them to cook their food and
then died unhonored and unsung.
Out of these remnants of wagons
they kept their vehicle in repair and
pushed on they knew not whittier.
Their thirst became intolerable, and
on digging into the sand they after
awhile struck water, but, alas, it
was salt. They drank of it, but it
only increased their suffering. They
poured it into the horses mouths
but the animals threw it out.
At last, more dead than alive,
they reached the mountains, where
they found some timber and also
some bunch grass for their horses
and a spring of water. Prospecting
was YEARLY and successfully car
ried on until one day, when digging
for water, they shoveled out gravel
that abounded in coarse gold in
chunks of the value of a dollar to
five dollars apiece. They then knew
that they had found the great placer
that Goulder discovered long years
ago. They staked out a claim and
gathered some of the precious
metal. 1t then seemed certain that
they were near the famous Gunsight
lodges, and after long and tiresome
searches they were rewarded with
finding lodges of gold-bearing rock
silver ore, galena and copper. These
lodges they located and secured a
laIge number of specimens.
They then began their long and
weary journey toward Los Angeles,
some 200 miles distant, where they
arrived yesterday, soiled, ragged,
bruised, sore, tired, with weakened
eyesight and wasted strength. AS
soon as they had obtained refresh
ment they sent for Herald repor-
ter, to whom they showed their
specimens and told their romantic
tale of suffering and success. Jud-
son and Spring are in fair preser-
walton, but Barney Carter was badly
used up and was not able to receive