Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-01-31
THE CEMENT NINE.
A pHlLhpELPHlAN's EXPERIENCE IN
SEEKING MYTHICAL GOLD.

Hard Tramp Through th. sierras IN
search for the Deposit That Assayed
. Thousand Ounces to tho Ton-some-
thing About the Lost Cabin Mine.
Jacob Metz. o lastmalser Of this city,
e an old time California miner and was
for eleven years u prospector in the
mountains. and he tells curious story
about tho alleged rediscovery Of tho
Lost Cabin mine in South Dakota. He
says;
There arc two mountain myths that
have been bothering the heads OF imagi-
native treasure seekers In the Rockies
since 1855. Ono Is "White's Cement
mine and the other Is tho Lost Cabin.
In 1855 Kit Carson, James Kinney and
half breed Blackfoot come into Fort
Randall. ON tho Missouri river, with
bag full Of nuggets and story OF gold
deposits Of incredible richness on Cabin
creek. u branch Of the North fork Of
the Cheyenne river just west OF what is
now the Montana boundary line. As
they were old mountain mon, and Car
son having agreat reputation as n guide,
everybody went crazy. No white man
was supposed TO have been within 600
miles Of the place, and indeed men were
being cut Off by Indians within five
miles OF the fort.
Carson and Kinney went on a weeks
drunk. and soon gamblcd away their
gold, but showed no disposition to take
party TO tho now Eldorado. The
United States officers at tho fort dis
credited the whole thing, and dissuadod
the crowd from following 1t up, but
men started out and mono returned, and
hundreds tried 1t from timo to time. Tho
Indians no doubt knew of the existence
Of gold there, and OF course wanted TO
keep the whites out, and they did of
fectually for thirty years. A thousand
lives and mountain Of treasure were
spent In seeking the location In vain.
and II was believed by tho old timers TO
be n fraud from tho first. Neither Car
son nor Kinney ever made tho attempt
to seek II again, but both repeated their
original story from timo to time. So
this Is about the truth as TO the Lost
Cabin bonanza.
Whites Cement mine Is much moro
remarkable as q narrative. White was
Anew Highlander, sixty years old, who
had come to California in 1912. As n
gold seeker he was known and talked
about in every mining camp on tho coast
and stories related Of his phenomenal
luck. lie no doubt made many fortunes.
but was always poor, and trampcd about
with lean mule and half breed Indian
boy, getting supplies where no could.
lbeliove no was slightly domented. but
oil looked up 10 him, and he undoubted-
ly knew mere about the gold region than
any man living.
One day in 1853 White came to Horse
Head gulch from the Sierras, driving
bis mule and looking utterly used up.
lie got something to eat, aud then took
out his pack number of pieces Of
VIA, looked like hard white clay gilt
tcrts with specks Of metal, but ho said
little aud went of to IN assayer, u Ger.
gan named Helyat, and an honest man.
Before night IL was known In camp that
Whites specimen showed 1000 ounces
of gold to the ton. In five minutes every
one went crazy. Nobody slept that
hight. abut sat around the fires and
talked k"cement." In the morning a
party Nheaded by Senator Sharons
brother called on White, who was Sleep
ing In ona of the "shacks." He WINS
told in'afew words that he must pilot
the men to his find. no should have the
pick OF tho claims and help to work il,
but go he must, and ON his refusal was
warned that his life would not be worth
thucks II hc stood or the camp. Then
he consented.
Every ono was wild. | was offered
t,OOO for my two mules and outfit, but
IKE fool went with the rest The trail
led right into tho Sierras. Tho first day
was u race and one-third Of tho men
broke down. The Indian leaped ahead
Ike a wolf and then White followed,
MS long gray hair flying In the wind.
ny the end Of the second day we were
IN the heart OF the mountain, in des-
eft where no human being had ever
been before. Half Of the animals were
lost, and tho men We're haggard with
fatigue and excitement. White was told
that II he played false hc was dead
man, but ho still pointed east We
passed good indications that showed
color but in that land Of dcsolation all
the gold in America would not have
ayailed man then.
On tho evening of the third day White
tall we were near 10 our journeys end,
ana by tomorrow-aud then no waved
ms long arms and such yell went up
iFom the frenzied men that partly made
inc Pine clod mountains shake. Every
ono lay down expecting TO arise u mil
Hohaire, but in the morning White was
gone and left no trace. About one.half
OF the party, after incredible suffering.
got back TO lifo aud civilization. and
yet, despite our story, 100 men started
uack over our trail two days after.
ihree years after White reappeared in
cat Lake City with his cement speci-
mems W. before incredibly rich and again
disappeared, and from that day to this
mas never been heard of, but men still
wear out their lives in seeking his lost
cement mine.
AFTER eleven years labor in tho mines
got home with $500 and heap Of
knowledge that will Hast for tho rest of
my liie,-Philadelphia Press.
RAISING SHROpShlRE9.