Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-02-01

"Well, DO you know was just fool
enough TO cot on that mans hint, and
equipped with pair Of high top boots, .
hammer, pocket microscope, bottle Of
nitric acid and . haversack, spent the
next two weeks - . tramp among the
streams on both sides Of the Hudson. I
had lot Of fun and fatigue, Clipped
stones BY the hour, pounded great rocks
and attacked every suspicious looking
vein, spent go and caught cold that
lasted me nearly all the next winter; but
that was the sum total Of my labors, and
that ended my search for gold In and
around New York. came home sad-
der and wiser man, but noe ono can make
me believe that the specimens which
gave me 20 much trouble are not part
and parcel Of . monster store which
Dame Nature b keeping In hiding for
some lucky mortal, who one OF these
days WIN socldentAlly drop upon the
spot, and BY his discovery startls the
world. How much Il Ne precious stuff
has gone Into The pavsments Of New
York, Just - thoss pisces, easily worth
three OF four dollaxs, might have done, 10
beyond the ken Of man, and =, this day
never see . pile Of rocks In the street,
waiting 70 be turned into concrete or
somethiag Of the kind, without regarding
Il, a. Charles A. Dana says Of his con-
temporaries, with the most distinguished
consideration
So ended the story Of tho old gentle
man. Tho manre, In which Il was
elicted ID explained by the following In
cident In the experience Of the writer.
Meeting Mr.. Edward II. Underhill. the
we'll known official reporter Of the sur.
rogate's court. and another friend,
physician equally distinguished, but who
might not care to have his namo men.
toned, tho conversation turned upon tho
remarkable display of gold nuggets and
rich pieces OF quarts which the latter
wore in various places. They were Of
different sizes and shapes, ranging from
the size OF Q pea to that Of Q filbert
They formed long neck chain for his
watch; constituted the row Of studs In
his shirt bosom and the buttons on his
sleeves and vest, and several rough but
valuable rings were on his fingers. Al
together the "get up" was unique and
attractive, not the result, however, OF
any eccentricity on the part Of tho physi.
cian, but for the purposes Of visit which
the gentlemen were about to make.
The writer jocosely made tho remark.
"Why, doctor, you must have been In
California and struck II rich" INC" he
replied, smilingly, "all this gold that
you zee, and moro that I have In my
pocket, I gathered with my own hands
within $50 miles Of New York" "Wall
street, or possibly some Of the curio
shops, eh2" 'No, cir; am not joking;
II is gold picked up by me In the noun.
tains and along the streams Of the ranges
chiefly on the west side Of tho Hudson
river. I have long entertained the
theory, verified further south, that the
Appalachian chain OF mountains, extend.
ing from Canada to Alabama, is o gold
region containing tho metal in more OF
less paying qualities. In North Caroline
there are places where o man may all .
quill In half days walk along the mar.
gin of stream, and other spots where q
search is rewarded by large nuggets.
Before the war Q branch mint was estab.
lished at Charlotte. In South Carolina
mines are even now worked with more
or less Of profit.
"I'en miles from Fredericksburg. Va,
on the Rappahannock river, gold existed
in paying quantities; and coming still fur
ther north, even to Nova Scotia, you frc
quently find tho precious metal In quanti
ties more tangible than mere trace. You
need not be surprised, therefore, when
repeat that I picked up this gold on my
person with my own hands. Some Of Il
Il In q pure state and remarkably rich
others Of the nuggets were originally in
fakes, or small particles found In bits oi
loose quartz, and have since been fused
Every year for years past have devotet
. part Of my summers vacation to Q
long jaunt through the mountains
hoping eventually to strike the vein o.
veins that have yielded these fragments
and, mark my prediction. some time tho
source will be found. II may be STRUCK
in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massa-
chusetts or Connecticut, but ! believe 4
will be FIRST found In the neighborhoot
of the Catskills."
"Why soT inquired the writer. "Be
cause it was In that neighborhOod oh
tained the specimens you see. Somo ol
the richest ] found In streams not fal
from Peekskill. There Is gold In Put
nam and Dutchess counties In what d
known as the Fishkill mountains, and
gold in the range which enters Orange
county from New Jersey. The boy 10 YET
alive, In my Judgment, who will stumble
In his search ON the deposit in its native
bed, and we may then be able to tract
its trend from northeast to southwest"
Putting the remarkable statements ol
the doctor with the curious experience
Of the old gentleman first referred TO, d
there not something In the idea that New
| York may be paved with goldT'