The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1893-02-24
THE CEMENT MINE.
! A PtiIlADELPHIaN's EXPERIENCE IN
SEEKING MYTHICAL GOLD.

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jacob Metz, lastmakor Of this city,
Ia nm old time California miner and was
for eleven years prospector in the
mountains, and he tells % curious story
about the alleged rediscovery Of the
Lost Cabin mine in South Dakota. Ho
says;
There are two mountain myths that
have been bothoring the heads Of imagi-
native treasure seekers in the Rockies
since 1855 One is whites Cement
mine and the other is the Lost Cabin.
In 1850 Kit Carson, James Kinney and
half breed Blackfoot come into Fort
Randall, on the Missouri river, with a
bag full OF nuggets and story OF gold
deposits OF incredible richness on Cabin
creek, branch Of the North fork Of
the Cheyenne river just west of what is
now tho Montana boundary line. As
they were old mountain men, and Car
son having agreat reputation as guide,
everybody went crazy No white man
was supposed to have been within 500
miles OF tho place. and indeed men were
being cut OFF by Indians within five
miles Of the fort.
Carson and Kinney went on a weeks
drunk, md soon gambled away their
gold, but showed no disposition to take
party to the new Eldorado, The
United States officers at the fort dis
credited the whole thing, and dissuaded
the crowd from following it up, but
men started out and none returned. and
hundreds triedit from time to time The
Indians no doubt knew of the existence
OF gold there, md of course wanted to
keep the whites out, and they did Of
fectually for thirty years. A Thousand
lives and u mountain Of treasure were
spent in seeking the location in vain,
ana 1t was believed by the old timers to
be q fraud from the first. Neither Car
son nor Kinney ever made the attempt
to seek it again, but both repeated their
original story from time to time. So
this Is about the truth as to the Lost
Cabin bonanza.
Whites Cement mine is much more
remarkable as q narrative. White was
New Englander, sixty years old, who
had come to California in 1S42. AS a
gold seeker he was known and talked
about in every mining camp on the coast
and stories related Of his phenomenal
luck, He no doubt made many fortunes,
but was always poor, and tramped about
with D lean mule and half breed Indian
boy, getting supplies whore he could.
] believe he was slightly demented, but
oil looked up to him, and he undoubted-
ly knew more about the gold region than
any man living.
One day in 1858 White came to Horse
Head gulch from the Sierras, driving
his mule and looking utterly used up
He got something to eat, and then took
out OF his pack number of pieces Of
what looked like hard white clay gilt
tering with specks of metal, but he said
little and went off to an assayer, n Ger
man named Helyat, and an honest man,
Before night it was known in camp that
Whites specimen showed 1000 ounces
Of gold to che ton. In five minutes every
one went crazy. Nobody slept that
night but sat around the fires and
talked cement" In the morning
party headed by Senator Sharon's
brother called on White, who was sleep
ing in one of the "shacks.' He was
told in few words that he must pilot |
the men to his find, he should have the
pick of the claims and help to work it,
but 60 he must, and on his refusal was
warned that his life would not be worth |
shucks If he 'stood of" the camp Then
he consented.
Every one was wild. was offered
81, 900 for my two mules and outfit, but
like fool went with the rest. The trail
led right into the Sierras. The first day
was race and one-third Of the mon
broke down. The Indian leaped ahead