The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-04
..rHE POOR OF pEATH.n
One of the Mine Traditions of the Ute
Indians.
From the New York Advertiser.

From the New York Advertiser
Legends of the sea have formed the
nucleus around which song and story
Il have clustered ever since men began to go
Il down to the sea in ships. The great tone
met. Wagner, was fascinated by one OF
4 these sea myths, fortunately for the
world of literature and music, and the re-
81 suIt has charmed the thousands who have
listened to the immortal strains Of THE
FLYING Dutchmau'
6ut the sea is not alone in the possession
"A of legendary lore nor are sailors the only
Fl ones who have the privilege of letting
their imagination run riot with their
facts The mountains also have their
d MYTHS. and the miners are as surersti-
q tiOus and as Credulous as the mariners.
Stories of lost mines whose riches sur
pass the wealth of Ormuz or of Ind" are
current in every mining camp, and when
ever few prospectOrs gather together
there can be heard narratives that will
make even the most conservative anxious
to shoulder pick and go in search of vast
fortunes that lie hidden, though once dis
covered. in some closely adjacent canyon
famed for the barrenness Of its rock and
the utter absence of any signs of mineral
One form of this mine myth is that of
an Indian tradition. Some old chief of
the fast disappearing aboriginal tribes is
credited with knowing just where there
heaps of gravel; but, unfortunately, the
old chief believes the spot is accursed and
that il would be death for him to reveal
his long cherished secret. l remember
story | heard i'll prOSpectOrs cabin near
Rico Col. and as ii Is typical of this lost
mine myth. viii recount il here. The
miner who told the story assured me that
he got it direct from the lips of White
Grow. a subchief of the UncOmpahgre
Utes, before those gentlemanly savages
left the banks of CncOmpahgre river, and,
under duress of paternal government,
sought the secluSiOn that their reserya-
tion grants. | will not endeavOr to repro
duce the language of the narrator, but
will give the substance OF his story, con-
densing the many circumlocutions of his
rambling relation as best | can
OF course it was many years ago.
when the events related to my friend by
White Crow took place. White Crow,
with party of Utes, was hunting among
the hills and under the shadows of I'm
COmpahgre mountain a peak that towers
to an altitude of over $4,000 feet above
the sea, when they entered a narrow can
yOn which they had never before eX-
plOred. The sides of the canyon were
streaked with veins af pink and white
spar and presented very attractive APP
pearance. It's walls were at least LOCO
feet in hight, and so closely together did
they approach that the sky looked like a
narrow blue ribbon above the explorers
heads When they had advanced short
way up the canyon night came on and the
Indians decided to make camp. They did
so, and spent the night peacefully sleeping
around their camp fire. In the morning
they resumed their march up the canyon
being anxious to obtain water and not de-
string to retraCe their steps. They
marched a long time and began to fear
that they would have to return a distance
of fifteen or twenty miles to their supply
camp, when all at once they came upon d
lovely pool at the head of the canyon,
into which small stream of crystal
water fell constantly in a fOaming cas-
cade.
OF course the explorers were much re-
ioiced at this discovery and slaked their
thirst with the greatest delight. On the
opposite bank of the pool was a great
mound of decomposed iron rock mingled
with an abundance of quartz and spar.
1t looked like the dump of mine which
had been worked Tor long period of
time Curiosity induced one of the
young Indians to swim across the pool
and examine the curious looking deposit.
He was well enough acquainted with the
mines of the white man to recognize at
once that this was no mine, but only
slide of deCOmpOSed rock brought down
from above by the action of the forces of
nature which had been at work here un-
disturbed for ages. He examined the
quartz and discovered that the crumbling
gravel bank under his feet was fully one
half pure gold. Great nuggets We're there
IN pFOfuSiOn, and it did not take long for
all the Indians to swim the pool and load
themselves down with the precious rock.
They knew it could be exchanged for
beads and blankets, guns, powder and,
best OF all, fire water" as soon as they
could convey it to the whites
They had now lost all interest in their
HINT and HOGAN a Gl1iply ap1b I,n
turn trail Suddenly a flash of lightning
stabbed downward into the gloom of the
gorge, and the menacing rumble of dis
tant thunder rolled echoing and re-echOing
down the canyon. The Indians were
startled, for they knew that if a cloud
burst should occur their lives were not
worth moments purchase. They were
thoroughly terrified, but this only added
wings to their flight. The rain fell in
torrents and the lightning blinded them
while the thunder kept up one long-con-
tlhQed roll like the rapid discharging of u
park of artillery, They were hoping
against hope that they might get out of
the canyon before the food came. when
lhey heard a roar louder than the below
ing of the thunder and knew that the
Hood was upon them and their hour had
come The great yellow torrent, bearing
rocks and trees upon its fOaming crest,
swept over them and ingulfed them
White Crow was the only one of the
party who escaped.
When he reached the camp of his tribe
he told his story and showed the gold
from the pool. An old man of the tribe
shook his head in sorrow. and said that
Years ago the Utes had been warned by
Ihe Great Spirit never to enter the can
Jon nor to approach the Pool of Death -
ana that it was because this warning had
been IGNORED that the companions of White
Crow had been DESTROYED.
There are plenty of Indians" con-
Guided the miner who told me this legend,
VINO claim to know exactly where this
canyon and this pool are to be found. but
no onbe can tempt them to guide a miner
.hlther. or even TO give him any directions
That viii aid him in his search.'i
The Hawaiian Death Prayer.