, 1890-08-28
1000 feet, etc, but our paper has al
ready transgressed its limits.
MARX +. MENDENHALL.
SpOK ANE FALLS, Aug. %, 1890.
SOME FAMOUS FINDS.


REVIEW, a mysterious prospector
returned very quietly a few days
ago from the Ceur d'Alene reserva-
ton with an odd-shaped bag of
bacon, which, however, broke while
being moved around and disclosed
nugget of gold extremely
heavy and nearly ak inches
In diameter. Ii was calculated to
he worth about $3.50. Compared
with some of the nuggets found In
California in the early days, how
ever, these nuggets are but iis peb-
bles to bowlder. According to a
writer in the Virginia New. Chron-
icle, the largest piece OF gold ever
found in this state was taken out OF
Carson Hill, Calaveras county, IN
November, 1854. 1t weighed l05
pounds troy, or 2,3lO ounces. Sew
eral other nuggets, weighing from
six to seven pounds-thnt is, from
| 72 to 81 ounces--were found In the
same locality.
The next largest was taken from
the Monumental quartz mine, Sierra
county, August Is, 1860. 1t weighed
500 ounces troy, and was purchased
Dy ID. w OouWuIu ioI
He exhibited 1t at the gardens for II
long time and then had 1t melted
down, realizing, however, only Sl7,-
664.94 from the bullion.
The third largest nugget was
found by Ira A. Willard on the west
branch of the Feather river, August
4, 1858. 1t weighed tlfty-tour pounds
avoirdupois (that is, S64 ouncesl be.
fore and forty-nine and one-half
pounds after melting.
Fourth In size, though not In val
ue, was u large, slab-sided quartz
nugget found by a Mr.. Strain near
Knapp ranch, Tuolumne county,
which weighed fifty pounds avoirdu-
pois, and which after crushing and
melting yielded $500 worth of
gold. This was in 1851, and in the
same year nugget was found at
French ravine, Sierra county, the
gold from which was valued at
5000. Five years after another
nugget wns found in the same place
which had considerable quartz In II,
but which yielded $4,000.
The first nugget of any great i'm
portance was found by u young sol
dier of Stevenson's regiment in the
Mokelumeriver while drinking from
that stream. He hasteued to sun
Francisco and placed his prize in
the hands of Colonel Mason for
safety, after which II found Its way
to New York, where IL famed the
smoldering flame and caused the
nations to realize the importance of
California as gold producing terri.
tory. The nugget was OF pure gold
and weighed between twenty and
twenty-five pounds. Another mug
get, about which there is good
deal of romance, was found by IA
Frenchnan in Spring gulch, near
Columbia, Tuolumne county. 1t was
nearly pure gold and was worth
more than 5000.
The finder became insane over his
good fortune and was the next day
sent to Stockton. The French con-
sui at San Francisco recovered the
nugget, realized the value, and sent
the money to the finders family In
France. Other "precious Jumps of
respectable size are the followlng:
In lSi9 nugget was found at Sulli-
vans creek, Tuolumne county, that
weighed twenty-eight pounds avoir-
dupOis. In 1850 piece of gold
quartz was found in French pvlne,
Sierra county, which contained 263
ounces, worth S4,933. In 1854 u
mass OF gold $3.50 ounces, and valued
at $685., was found at Columbus,
Tuolumne county.
No dates are given for anything
then before 1854, when "a nugget OF
pure gold was found In the middle
iork of the American river, two
miles from Michigan Bluff, which
weighed 226 ounces and was sold for
"a ,2O4. Another account of this
nugget states that the weight was
lS7 ounces. Then in 1887 n bowlder
of gold quartz was found at Pilot
hill, FL Dorado county, which
yielded in gold 5000. Several
other powders of small size were
found in the same claim. Another
charming bowlder WAS of pure white
quartz, which j. q. Colgrove, oi
Dutch Flat, Placer county, found In
the Polar Star hydraulic mine. /,
contained gold To the amount oi
s., 760.
Two nuggets, the date OF whose
} discovery Is not given, are these
One found near Kelsey, FL Dorado
county, which sold tor S4,7OO, and
one found on Fall Mill, Tuolumnt
, county, which weighed 230 ounces
, and was valued at $500.
California, however, can not claim
the honor of having produced the
, largest nugget in the world, That
according 10 Phillips, was the grea
Australian lump, known as tn,
| D. do a.I
, pounds four ounces troy, or 2,79I
} ounces, as against the =, $40 ounce.
, of that taken out of Carson hill
Calaveras county, in November
} 1854. Another mass, according to
the same authority, was exhibited IL
. London In 1871 as the product o
one OF the Victoria mines, which
weighed 146 pounds, or l,752 troy
/ ounces; while still larger, but mo-
: so valuable mass was found at Bal
, larat III the same year which
: weighed 2, ,2l7 ounces. According e
, tue Annual Statistician, however
4; the largest solid nugget ever foun,
was discovered In Australia, in 1869
/ which weighed $3.50 ounces anc
/ was valued at S45,6OO; while tn,
. largest piece of ore and rock WA,
found in New South Wales in 1872
, weighed 640 pounds-that is, 7,8s,
ounces--and was valued ut Sl4S, 900
To come back to this country
/ Montana has added one or two fui
) sized nuggets to the list. The larg
est of all was found in Deadw ool
, gulch, Twenty-Five miles north o
Deer Lodge, in the county of tha
/ name, October 10, 1865. 1t weighc,
A thirteen and half pounds or Ia
: ounces, was o inches long, inche