The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-11-21
THE NICKEL MINE.
The Story of It's Early
Discovery.
How Robert Trewin of This City Lost
the Opportunity of Being
Rich Miner.

Have you read that dispatch in THE
CALL this morning about the rich nickel
mine in Nevada?" said Robert Trewin.
steward at the Receiving Hospital, to a
CALL reporter yesterday.
You will no doubt be surprised when i
tell you." he continued. shat 1 was the
first one to discover that mine, and il it
had not been for a disappointment in an
affair of the heart would have held on to
il and been rich miner to-day.
II first went to that section of the
country 10 April. 1861, and assisted in lay
ing out Humboldt City. which / made my
residence, and also the town of Unionville.
in 1862 l was doing little prospecting
in the locality where the mine is situated.
was the only white man there at the
time, and / camped for five days with the
Indians while waiting for fellow-pros-
pector. whom l afterward learned got lost
in the mountains and persisted in the snow
ION the fifth day decided to return TO
Hum boldt City. and left the camp 10 get
my horses. While searching for them l
came upon the now famous mine, the
ledge being from 125 to $50 feet broad and
extending right up the face of the noun
tain.
Looking at it from the sink of Carson,
tinctly running across the mountain two
miles from the lowest point of the CROP
pings. The whole width Of the ledge Is a
solid body of ore.
81 was puzzled to make ont the character
of the ore. and gathered together a little
and put it in fiour-sack.
Then l started for Humboldt City,
which was booming at that time. and nv
discovery caused the greatest excitement.
/ was advised to take the ore to Virginia
City. l went there and consulted with DIR.
May, now of this city. but vino was then
agent for the Pacific University.
"He advised me to get the ore assayed,
but the assayers apparently did not know
that such thing as nickel was in exist
ence, as they reported that the ore was
nothing but iron.
81 was not satisfied with their opinion
and made another visit to the mine In 1868
and did little work on it.
During that trip / lost one of my
horses. and had to leave my wagon behind
Till got another horse.
81 did nothing further In regard to the
mine till 1868. / was then in San Jose,
and the railroad through Nevada was then
being built. Some capitalists in San Jose
made an offer to me 10 go to the locality of
the mine and relocate all the mines tb at
were worth working and they would give
me an equal interest in the products Of the
mines.
81 went there. but found all the other
mines had been secured by another COM
pany from San Jose, with the exception of
the great nickel mine. / put up notice
on this mine claiming it. and intending to
have it recorded in due course.
81 stayed there for few weeks await
ing important letters, but none came and
got very uneasy. Finally. 1 made up my
mind that l could not stand the suspense
any longer, so / decided to make my way
to Humboldt City and find out why none
had come.
"On the trip across the desert I nearly
died from thirst, but providen TALLY reached
a spring while was in a delrous state.
] can assure you had terrible expert
ence that trip, and never thought would
| reach Humboldt City,
when l got there L received letters
which put all thoughts of the mine for
ever out of my head.
1.-The mine was afterward located by
Lovelocks, after whom the town of Love-
locks is named. and he sold it to the
| English syndicate which has now possess
! sion of it.
| Il think il town is laid out near the
mines one of the streets should be called
| Trewin street. in view of the fact that
was the first one tina discovered the mine.
| DOn't Won think 90 g"