The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-07-26

~hole-souled, he has generally sold q
claim for a Thousand or few hundred dol
lars and spreed 1t out, and that same
property later has made somebody a mill
lionaire He has always Just missed"
1t, bat next time he won't sell, "you can
bet on that, pard," he will say when
talking 1t over.
GETTING READY.
The burro or Jack is a necessary adjunct
10 every prospecting outfit, for he is the
beast of burden on the long, narrow and
precipitous trails of the Rocky Noun
tains. Doctle and s~ure-footed, he can
pass over heights that make even the old
m~ountaineeP dizzy when looking down
into the great chasms that yawn beneath,
Burros are cheap during winter, but with
the advent of spring. when they are
needed by the ppospectors, their value is
greatly enhanced, and If the demand is
great, q good burro or mountain Jack,
which Ia also known a the "ship of the
deserr," will often bring $50. One or two
burros are purchased, and then n tent,
camping utensils, flour and bacon, some
mining tools, aud whatever Is considered
necessary TO o prospector's outfit, From
$50 to 500 Is considered a good grub
stake for the season, but this sum will
have to be increased IL they should find a
property worth developing, This is out
fitting in its cheapest and simplest form.
A more costly wayi is to purchase a wagon
and team, and, among other things, take
along an assaying outfit, an anvil and
bellows for q blacksmith shop. They can
then test the ores themselves and sharpen
their W tools. It's a poor miner who
can't temper his pick and sharpen a drill,
A good rife, pistols and hunting knife
are always considered necessities in a
prospector's outfit, which he carries him
self for ready use when far up In the
ranges or remote on the frontier. The
packing up and starting off Is quite an
event. Now, the packing of a burro is a
difficult art. 1t Is easyto put on the pack
saddle, but when it comes to piling on the
great load this little animal is capable of
carrying, it Is found a difficult task. Not
only must it be tied on tight, but it must
be evenly balanced. The little burro
gives many a twist and turn in climbing
the narrow and dangerous trails. No
can pack a burro like an old-timer, but
how a tenderfoot has often sweate and
rugged to get the load on and make it
stick. l fear that many a pious tender
foot from the East, after repacking his
burro for q dozen times in one day, has
often registered things in heaven from the
crest of the Rocky Mountains, which he
will, on orthodox principles, answer for
hereafter.
OFF FOR THE MOUNTAINS,
All is ready and the boys are off. Hun
dreds of times l have seen the start on
their long jaunts insearchof the precious
metals. Good nature abounds, and SONG
times u bottle goes round, just for luck,
you know. Goodbye, pard, " are gener-
ally the parting words, "strike it rich"
In the days when the Gunnison was an
almost unexplored country, the boys lest
behind, or some n of them would shout
out, "Look out for the Utes, "Save your
scalp if you have to go hungry" "Keep
out of the way of Old Colorow." The last
injunction has often even up to recent
years been given, half in good humor and
half in advice. 1t is fun to camp out,
and fish and hunt, but prospecting is
hard work. Any man who finds a mine
deserves to become O millionaire. He
,GdTlS v ~ . lLLO VI SApOSuAS dhN
ships. But there is one thing that keeps
him up. It's hope. A man could not
prospect without it. Hope is as necessary
to his outfit as -four and bacon. Others
have found millions, and why not hei
And hence, footsore and weary, he climbs
peak after peak, hunting for the hidden
treasures of the mountains
How to prospect That is q question
often asked. There is no set rule. Some
who are superstitious may ask q fortune
teller, and when they find a mountain or
gulch like the one she describes, they may
try their luck there. Some have faith in
a divining rod or crooked stick, and when
it turns there is the place to dig. But
these are superstitions, and although
many miners are superstitious they put
little faith in these stories. They are
more apt to be superstitious in the de-
velopment Of a mine, for there have been
instances where men have worked proper
ties under the advice of fortune-tellers.
l will not vouch for the truth of it, but l
have the statement from a Denver for
tune-teller that $4,000 has been spent in
the development of a Colorado mine I'M
der her direction. ~ dare not give you
tho mama f tho man or tha nina - said