, 1891-04-19
Opinion Expressed by a Mine Ex'
pert on Gold Hill.
He was Sent to the Camp by an
Omaha Newspaper.
And is More Than Satisfied With
What He Saw.

] AlNu oAAAhth HAAE AElt. bFkluuluk WIN
the latter part Of last season aud con.
t%inuing down even to the present week,
has been a succession OF surprises. There
is one class, though, that has been much
surprised by the reports OF these finds.
Oldtimers in this section have for years
had an abiding faith 10 the richness ofthe
mineral deposits surrounding the new
camp. Specimens OF rich ore and rock
heavily studded with free gold we're ex.
hibited years ago by men who tramped
over these hills 10 search OF mineral pros
poets. Others who Datroled the base Of
the surrounding mountains. in rounding
up the big herds that used to Craze here
stumbled over rich float. / remember that
once along in the '7O's, when called to
this locality on an entirely different
mission than that of an argonaut, an old
treasure seeker took considerable of his
own time and mine in demonstrating that
a beautiful specimen of gold bearing
quartz he had picked up in a guleb, not
many miles distant, must have come from
somewhere in the neighborhood of the
Gold Hill OF today.
THEY MAKE BIG WAGES.
One could easily IN Ike up a long list of
names OF men who have at times near
and remote, made big wages for one or
more seasons, in panning out pay dirt or
in washing nuggets out of the gravel by
crude means, As far back as the ffties
parties set out for these hills and engaged
in gulch miuing. They did not desert
for the lack Of good success, but for the
reason that big strikes, or rumors of them,
elsewhere stampeded the outfit. This has
never been a particularly attractive or
convenient locality for lone prospectors,
anyway. The natural disadvantages,
as we'll as the remoteness from
the base Of supplies, made a
campaign here one full Of porplcx-
tiles and even peril. Since the town of
Saratoga wac started. however, there has
been more and moro prospecting done as
the seasons went by. That place being
naturally the base of supplies, has made
outitting not only more convenient but
less expensive than when one had to de-
pend on one of the railroad towns as
trading points as was the case until quite
recently. But some how or other a little
party Of prospectors got in here last sum
mcr The men who composed it seem to
have had better staying qualities than the
pioneers. Patiencs and persistence had
their reward. Near the head of a gulch,
which has been named Gold Run, was
located a lead that p~rospected big for
gold THIS find. called the Patent Right,
encouraged a more energetic hunt for
other leads. As a result within the sue.
cccding few weeks were located a number
OF rich prospects in the immediate Vi.
cinity.
WHEN n STAMPEDE STARTED.
News OF the strike was carried abou,
and in time reached other amps, far and
near. Old ~prospectors aud new adventur,
ers began to flock in. 1t was so late il
the season that only a few of the many
WV N1AAN lhAA NhNAl new Chup udl lut
pluck to stay by 1t. Mosc Of them knew
from experience more or less bitter, what
wintoring in these mountains meant.
When this tide Of prospectors set in, il
lacked but a few weeks till snowfall.
After that snow might be expected tC
come down almost perpetually till nearly
the corresponding time this year. There
didn't seem to be much Of an inducemenI
for a mar to do the assessment work on &
claim that might be Jumped before be
could get back TO il again to begin It's de
velopment 1t was apparent to all who
did any prospecting here that if anything
rich was found it would be a hard matter
to hold onto the property. The leads lay
so thick that several could be found
within the limits circumscribed by the
United States mining laws for an individ.
ual claim. Under the circumstances there
was bound to be cncroachments on ad-
joining property. Theu would follow the
wranglins and perhaps bloodshed too COM
mou to new mining camps. To avert
trouble Of this sort the prospectors got to-
gether and held a meeting to devise ways
and means to prevent discussion. They
agreed among themselves last October
that they would cut down the width of
their claims Just halt-taking $50 feet on
each side OF the lead instead Of 800 feet as
the United States laws allow.
WORK WILL SOC BEGIN.
In a few weeks more development work
will BEGIN. Those who have nothing in
SIGHT have only to hunt for it if they are
seeking after mineral. By following up
indications less favorable than those at
Gold Hill many a camp has been build up
from which fortunes nave been taken ont
10 those who are not familiar with this
locality. or have had no chance to study
the new strikes, assertions such as these
may have no more force than that trite
old saying so often heard in new mining
camps, The best is yet to be found -
But it eau safely be said Of the hundreds
who have visited Gold Hill since It spranV
into notoricty aud have seen for them
>elves what there is here. not a man will
tail to return ii 1t is in his power. 1t
must be borne in mind that visitors to the
camp have not been attracted through
idle curiosity. A man wouldn't come
here for pleasure. nor for his health. in
the winter at any rate. The difficulties
encountered In getting 10 during the mast
season have been great. But that hasn't
deferred hundreds from seeing for them
selves what there Is here, although every
body has been warned beforehand of the
annoyance, not to say danger. that has
attended = trip up to the present time.
In the few shafts and tunnels that have
been kept open-and there are no: more