Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-04
Gold or Aluminium Said to Be
Found at RedOndO.
Sensational Reports of Finding
the Precious Metals.
Mysterious Parties of ProspectOrs and
Their Wonderful Tales.
Big Banks of Sand Said to Be Full
Of Gold-7Als0 Acres OF Clay Com
tanning Deposits OF
Aluminium.

been an air of mystery surrounding Re-
dondo. Mysterious strangers with mys-
terious parcels, which might contain
kodak cameras or dynamite, have ar
rived over different lines of road or by
steamer, and have at once sought the
south beach with most surprising una
nimity. After stay of a few days or a
week the strangers would take their de-
parture, appearing satisfied or disgusted
as the case might be. Residents at the
beach have been very curious about
these parties, and rumors OF various
discoveries, ranging from petroleum to
diamonds, have been flying about freely.
The last party to take its departure
went north on the Pomona Wednesday,
and one member Of the party, becoming
partially intoxicated, on the last dal
told strange and, if true, a startling
tale to the HERALD representative. He
said that his party consisted of four
persons, Alfred Borel, Daniel Meyer,
w. B. Middleton and himself. His own
card, which he gave the reporter, bore
the name of A. W. Stott, 8 Montgom-
cry street, San Francisco. and his busi-
ness importing jeweler. Middleton, he
said, was an assayer, and the other two
prominent business men of San Fran
cisco. The story he told was as follows
Some time ago man had come to his
place of business in San Francisco with
piece or button Of pure gold, which he
wished to have tested. Finding that it
was pure he became communicative and
divulged the fact that he knew where
there was deposit of the same valuable
metal. After while he produced some
black sea sand, such as can be found at
many points on the coast, and intimated
that it was from such sand that he had
obtained his gold. Becoming interested,
Mr.. Stott went with the man to an as
sayer at 328 Montgomery street, and the
sand assayed very high, proving to be a
peculiar chemical combination which
only requires the application of heat to
obtain pure metallic gold.
After much bargaining a company
was formed, consisting of the men whose
names were mentioned and the discov-
erer, who bears the unromantic name of
Smith, and the entire outfit came down
to Redondo, where Smith had located
the deposit, to investigate. Stott said
that they had been successful in their
search, that the deposit was located a
considerable distance south of Redondo,
was right on the sea coast. A button Of
reddish gold was shown the reporter as
! the result from about half pint OF the
I sand, the button being about the size
and weight of a half eagle piece.
After some solicitation the man took
the reporter to his room and proceeded
to reduce sample of the sand to gold
over a plumbers gasoline blast, but he
could not be induced to part with a
sample of the black sand from which
the button of metal was obtained.
Mr.. Stott said that arrangements had
been made for obtaining possession of
the land upon which the bed of gold
sand was located, and that the entire
company would be down to Redondo
again shortly.
The man whom Stott called Middle
ton, on being approached was rather re-
ticent, but stated that he and his COM
panions were oil experts and had been
looking over the country, near the Rose
Grams gas well for good oil prospects, but
had not been successful in finding any
thing. They proposed to return later
and look again. The remaining two
members of the party could not be in
terviewed. A peculiar thing about
Middleton was that he would not give
his name, and being accosted as Mr..
Middleton as he was ascending the gang
plank of the Pomona,,he was apparently
much startled.
On the other hand gentleman who
is acquainted with A. w. Stott, of No. 8
Montgomery street, had not seen that
gentleman, which, as the man giving
that name was here somebody's is rather
strange if the name is correct.
An assayer who visited at Redondo
says that while there is certain COM
bination of gold which looks like black
sand, and while nearly all the black
beach sand contains traces of gold, he
has never known any natural deposit of
the combination in question, and he
rather doubts if there is any SUCH ~
However, such as it is, the story is
here given with the facts as above stated.
Another story is that the deposit is
not sand, but clay, which contains
from 10 per cent. upwards of pure alum
inium, and that the metal is found in
such condition as to render its extrac-
tion very easy.
The HERALD could not yesterday con-
firm these stories, and they are simply
given for what they are worth. There is
little doubt, however, that someone
has made what he believes to be a
very valuable discovery at Redondo, and
it may turn out as indicated above.