Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-04-04
THE ROCKS PURE GOLD.
a Western Machinist Who Refused
q Great Mine as Gift.

In one of the side streets near the
Oakland Ferry, San Francisco, there is
general junk shop carried on by one T..
I. Steen, whose daily struggle for the
mighty dollar is hard one.
Mr.. Steen makes a speciality Of second
hand machinery, in the purchase of
which he travels considerably over the
Californian mining counties. Abandoned
or broken down quartz mills and hoist
ing works are his delight.
He is by no means a rich man, al
though he constantly tells the story of
how he was offered large fortune once
as present, but refused it. 1t happened
this way:
In part of Ell Dorado County, called
Grizzly Flats, mine had been worked
with more or less profitable results by
party of Boston capitalists. These men
had spent considerable money in inn
proving the property, and in the course
of development had gotten out some
twelve or fifteen hundred tons of ore.
This lay on the dumps.
For one reason or another the maehin-
cry at the mine did not work satisfactor-
lily, and the ore was not crushed. 1t also
happened that a cave occurred i'll the
mine shaft, which so discouraged the
Boston folks that they finally concluded
to abandon the property.
The only thing to be done was to sell
the machinery for the most money OBJ
tainable. Mr.. Steen was invited to
make bid, and he visited the mine
the Mount Pleasant it was called-looked
over the machinery, and offered stated
sum for it, which was at once accepted.
The mine owners offered to throw the
mine into the bargain for few hundred
dollars more, but Mr.. Steen wouldn't
have it, remarlnng: "What on earth do
l want of the mine2 / wouldn't take it
as gift. This was some seven or eight
years ago.
Mr.. Steen then hauled the machinery
away from the property, which after
ward lay idle for some six months or
more, when an expert in the employ of
the same Boston firm happened to visit
the place. He was there to examine and
report upon another mining property in
the vicinity.
The expert, more from curiosity than
else, concluded to so over the
Mount Pleasant property to see whether
the ore might not be worked to advan-
tage by some new process. He assayed
a sample from the dump and was aston
shed to find the result over 500 That
Is, the ore, if this was fair sample,
would yield $50 per ton. He then made
'urther assays, with even better results,
md wrote to Boston, stating that il |
would pay to put up new mill on the
After some hesitation this was done |
nd the ore ON the dumps WAS run |
trough the mill in less than a month,
fielding about S27, 900. Upon examin-
ng the mine further it was found that |
he cave in the main shaft had exposed
chimney of very rich ore, upon
Which the mill was soon set to work.
From this on the mine was systemati-
ally worked, and, smgularly enough,
he deeper they got the wider and richer
he vein became, and to-day Mount
Pleasant is probably the richest gold
line in California.
For seven years the Mount Pleasant
line has yielded net return of from
%, 600 TO $40, 600 a month, and there is
aid to be ore enough in sight now to
eep the mill running ten or twelve
ears more. A million dollars in cash
.ould not, to use the Western idiom,
touch one side of the property"
| have often seen the man at the
Iount Pleasant mill after days run
Ike up great iron buckets full of rich
malgam from the plates and have seen
uartz specimens from the ledge worth
lany hundreds Of dollars.
About year after Steen had refused
} accept the property l met him one
ny in San Francisco. "What is that
ch mine up in FL Dorodo county l
ear so much aboutl" he asked me.
"The Mount Pleasant, | told him.
GOOD Lord I" he exclaimed, "you
mt say sog" And then he told me
'out his purchase and the attendant
cts as above described. -Neo York
fe4Id