The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1890-05-29
LUCK M THE DlCCiNCS.
Instances of Sudden Ups and Downs in the
Fortunes of Miners.

1t is impossible for any one at all
familiar with mining adventures IN the
Rockies from 1860 to 1870 to deny the
existence of that mysterious and capri
cious influence on mems lives and for
tunes known as luck, and it seemed 10
attach itself mainly to those who knew
the least and were accepted as the fools
of the camp. thus illustrating the old
proverb, IA fools luck" Old and ex-
perienced miners quit locations In dis
gust after months of labor and these
were afterward taken by men who
scarcely knew the difference between
shaft and a level. After week
scrambling work the latter became rich
men. One instance | can give:
A man named Relf, forty-niner.
opened prospect hole on Goose Greek.
within a mile of the Idaho border. 1t
seemed TO pan out well at first, and he
spent sc, 000-all he had in the world
in development; but the vein began to
pinch ont, aud Relf gave itup. Anoth-
er man took it with the same result.
Then one of the best miners IN the
Territory put in $1,000 and after
months OF hard work shot himself in
despair at his ill-fortune. The location
was thereafter dubbed the Last
Chance" by neighbors. 1t lay year,
when Il man named Gadsen came to
Silver City. He was looked on as
harmless and decidedly weakminded
fellow, and he annoyed Col. james
Fisher, well-kuown mine owner. by
constantly asking his advice about 10
eating. until Fisher told him to try the
Last Chance adding: You're just
fool enough to have nigger luck"
Gadsen started off TO get team and
supplies. and amid the jeers of the
camp left for Last Chance" Four
DAYS afterward his team was seen COM
ing into camp on dead run. and it
stopped at Col. Fishers office. Cad
sen, with bag on his back, entered,
and, drawing a chunk of rock, laid it
before Fisher. who examined it and
said: We'll. Gadsen, you haye the
proverbial FOOLS luck. That will as
say So, 900 ton. You've struck it rich
this time" An examination of his
mine showed that only a foot of rock
lay between the last owner and uncoin
ed wealth, and this Gadsen broke
through the first day.
A syndicate was formed and Gadsen
sold out for $4,000. The new owners
took ont $25, 900 in three weeks and
then struck mass of porphyry rock
that it would have taken all the money
in San Francisco to remove. No trace
of the lost treasure was ever found,
and the Last Chance was permanent
lowed him. He left the mountains,
bought home in Missouri, and saved
his money.
The history of the firm of Bowers &
White is one of the romances of the
mining camp. Sandy Bowers came
into the Washo district about 1860
He cooked for Il party of freighters,
and his wife, a tall. bony woman, told
fortunes. sold lucky numbers, and in
terpretcd dreams for the credulous
| miners. With some Of the money
made in this way her husband took up
a claim and made money, and for the
| next ten years had continued good
| fortune He was grossly illiterate and
no business man, but still he prosper
| ed. He broke all the gamblers in the
Territory, and no one cared to play
| with him.
His partner, Lorenzo d. White, was
| a different kind of a man. He neither
| drank nor gambled, but was mad as
halter on the subject of religion, be-
lieving himself to be John the Baptist
In business matters, however. he was
shrewd and enterprising, and his luck
was phenomenal. Whatever he touch
| ed turned into gold. 1t was noted
| that whatever Bowers sold turned out
well for his customers, while it was
reversed in Whites dealings, although
he was believed to be an honest man.
| The mystery was as to what he did
with his gains. He depleted his bank
account every now and then, drawing
! out large sums in coin and then dis
appearing for a time. 1t was believed
| that lie buried his wealth in the
mountains, and he was followed and
| dogged by the camp ruifians, who
| would have taken his life for Il dollar,
but it was part of his good fortune to
| escape.
The end came at last. Sandy Bow
ers got involved with party of East
| ern adventures and lost $500. 600.
After this he vent down hill rapidly.
| He had at one time half Il million in
|
| He became a drunkard, and one day
| got together few dollars 10 buy an
| outfit. With a borrowed mule he start
| ed for Nevada, and was no doubt, kill
ed by the Ute Indians, as he was never
| heard of again.
! White was not known to have any
serious losses, but he, too, disappeared
He was supposed to have gone back
to Maine, his native state. Inside OF a
year he came into the little mining
town of Mercedes, on the Rio Grande
River, Colorado, in rags and exhaust
! ed from hunger and fatigue. He was
| followed by shaggy Mexican burro,
about as big as Newfoundland dog.
This carried his miners outtit-a pick,
pan, and shovel. He was at once re-
cognized and relieved. He went to an
assayer and showed large mass that
looked like burned limestone. but which
evidently contained gold. The assay
| astonished the expert. and he declared
that the specimen showed 50 per cent
of gold.
ln an hours time the camp was wild
with excitement, and this was the be-
| ginning of the craze known as "White
Cement Mine At first the old man
refused to tell the location, and some
of the ruder spirits advocated hanging.
but, after much persuasion, he agreed
to pilot party to the spot. The next
| day Mercedes was deserted. Every
body joined the procession. After
eight days rugged travel they reached
Green River Valley, in Utah. While
ascending narrow ravine q vo!iey OF
rifle balls, fired from the ckapparal.
| killed three of the foremost o. tie gold
hunters and stampeded all the animals.
| Tie Ute Indians had been awaiting
them. In the confusion White es-
capped and the party broke up. From
time to time White would reappeir in
mining camps with a fresh supply of
his gold-bearing cement, but his mind
was clearly gone and he could give no
information that was of the slightest