The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-02-02
GOLD IN PAVING STONES.
THERE MAY BE LOTS OF The
METAL IN NEW YORK STREETS. (
Nuggets Picked by boy from Con-
tractors Pne-oueer Stories Told Of
Probable Deposits in the Catsklls and
Allegheny Mountains.
fsneci,I Correspondence.l

NEW YORK, Jan. 30.-"Do you seri
ously mean that valuable specimens Of
gold have been picked from piles Of rocki
living around loose in the streets of New
York;
81 do most seriously, and if could
have found the source from which they
came, would today be twenty times q
millionaire"
The speaker was an old and well known
resident Of the city, and the facts men
toned by him in the following narrative
are familiar TO a number Of persons
Give or six years ago. he continued
Il lived on one Of the up town street:
near Central park, between Fifth anc
Sixth avenues. Repairs to the roadway
being necessary, portion Of 1t had beer
removed preparatory 10 laying a ne"
foundation, the base Of which was e
consist Of pebbles and crushed stone:
mixed with n species Of composition
Day after day carloads Of this material
were brought there and dumped in piles
while the process Of improvement went
on.
zone morning a young son coming III
from play his mother discovered that his
pockets were filed with these pebbles,
which, boy like, he had gathered because
as he said, they were pretty you
must throw those things away instantly,
she exclaimed, because | don't want
the house numbered up with such trash,
and besides, it will ruin your trousers.
The lad obeyed, but obtained permission
from his mother 10 reserve few that he
particularly fancied by reason Of their
shape and attractiveness Among the
latter were bits Of quartz containing
CRYSTALS, a number of small round stones
that evidently had been subjected to the
action Of running water, and other speci.
mems such az a lO-year-old geolOgist
would naturally select for place in his
cabinet. On returning from business
that evening, my attention was called by
the boy to his find, and particularly
TO two or three irregular fragments about
the size Of Brazil nuts, because, as he
said, they were so bright and yellow and
looked Just like gold To me, however,
they were only bits Of quartz containing
iron pyrites presenting the usual yellow
ish metallic luster, and / read to him
from an encyclopedia a description Of
the manner in which they are employed
N the manufacture Of sulphurous acid.
'In order to satisfy him still further
1 in ~ of
pieces, but rich, glistening flakes fel in
such abundance upon the hearthstone
where the demonstration had taken place
that even my own curiosity was now
aroused, and determined the next morn
ing to investigate further. On going
down town | showed the fragments to a
number of friends, among others the late
+. B. Wallace, the Broad street banker.
and explained the circumstances under
which they had been found. All agreed
that they presented such a remarkable
appearance as to warrant an examination
by an expert, and they were accordingly
carried to the United States assay Office
in Wall street To the official there
however, nothing was said as to the 10
cality from which they had 50 recently
been taken. CHANGING at them for a mo
ment, he said: 1t isn't necessary 10 test
these specimens; they are simply samples
of California ore, very rich in gold.
have handled thousands Of pounds, but
very rarely ore so valuable as this
"'If this is gold, it never saw Califor
MIA, was the reply. 1t was picked up
in a pile Of paving stones in the upper
part of New York city by boy 10 years
old only yesterday morning.
If that is true, it is either an accident
or a revelation returned the Official
but in order to be sure I'll make a test,
and thereupon he retired to a rear room.
When he came back it was with look
Of surprise on his face and the remark:
Just as | told you, sir; that is free bear.
ing gold quartz Of the richest quality.
As nearly as / can calculate from a cur
sorry examination, it would assay from
twenty-five hundred 10 three thousand
dollars a ton. Under the microscope,
however, the quartz presents a different
appearance from that which Is most
common in California. 1t more closely
resembles that which has been found in
Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia
If such a specimen is a native Of this
neighborhood, it will be a marvel. Yet
the discoveries Of gold in Califor
MIA and Australia were also maryels
We come upon it when it is least OK
pected. Marshall found it originally
while digging in a millra on the estate
Of Capt. Suter, on the Sacramento river
It was found in digging well at San
Francisco, and then again a hundred
miles off, where it was dropping from
cliffs into the sea and slowly settling
through the sands Of the shore Seven
Mexicans discovered gold in soft clay
and slate that could be crushed between
the fingers, and keeping their secret
eight days. made in that short time S2l7,-
600. The Blue Ridge region has yielded
a solid specimen weighing twenty-eight
pounds. If we could easily lay our hands
upon gold, we might all be rich, but it is
a fact well known among miners that the
noble metal is not generally found in the
position in which it was originally de-
posted. For these reasons, l say again
that the finding Of these specimens is a
revelation if not an accident, for they in
dicate a not distant source Of supply. II
that can be discovered you may make
yourself a rich man in forty-eight hours.
"These suggestions by an expert were
naturally exciting" continued the mar
rator, "and 10 none more than TO Mr. L.
B. Wallace, who promptly declared he
would invest a million Of dollars in the
event Of the discovery to begin with, and
as much more as might be necessary.
No grass grew under my feet while hur-
tying home after that interview at the
assay Office for the purpose Of further in
yestigating the pebble piles in the street.
out you may fancy my uismay on ma
ing that not a vestige of them remained.
The repairs had been completed, and
carts, contractors and tar kettles had
alike disappeared. Not a claw was left !