The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-01-10
HUNDRED MILES Of GOLD.
The New Placers Of San Juan Are
Said to {. Be Of Vast
Extent.
Flight Thousand Mon Strung Along
the River Pannin0 Out
Yellow Metal.
Million Dollar Train Leaves tho Gable
PIacers for Window-Trouble With
jumpers Inevitable.

A Million Dollar Train Leaves tho Gable
| PIacers for Window-TPoubls With
Jampsrs Inevitable.
| DURANGO. Col. Jan. 0.--Thsre 10 NO
longer any doubt Of she existence Of gold
on the San Juan river. in southern Utah.
From point twenty-five miles from Bluff
City. following along the river to where IL
empties into the Colorado, q distance Of
ITO miles. gold 10 being wushsd out and
thousands of men are at work stalking
claims, panninR out colors and small mug
gets and free gold, regardless Of The fact
that there IL scarcity Of provisions. NO
shelter except tents, an absence of even
sufficient timber to mako camp Ares Or
auRht else supposed 10 be essential to mans
life and comfort. The st. Louis Globe
Democrat correspondent was st Devils
canyon last Thursday. That poi.t 10 mid
way between Bluff City and tho mouth Of
tho San Jaan. There are 1000 mon seat
tered through this canyon and all are hard
at work. The gold taken out vsries In size
from four to nuggets about the size OF
coffee bean. The average to . pan IL $3.50.
Bedrock IL reached at depth OF from six
teen to twenty feet, and the gravel IL washed
ont in small. narrow stream which d.
verRes from the river at Devils canyon.
The miners are 80 scattered that NO or
ganization has yet been attempted there.
although It will probably become ono Of
the main camps, unless the tales Of larger
strikes further down the river oauss an sx-
odus in that direction. Every day fresh
rumors Of large finds are brought up from
other points, and with fsverish haste olaims
sre abandoned, camp 10 struck and hun
dreds Of men pull out for the new find.
The best claims have been grabbed by the
Gable Mining company. named after SUI
perintendent Gable, of the Atlantic d Pa
eido Rsilroad company, who first interested
capital in the new diReings. These claims
embrace seventeen miles on the south bank
of the San Juan, near It's mouth, sixteen
miles on the north bank. and about twenty
miles on the Colorado river north to what
is known - the Cass Hite old workings.
Eight hundred men we're employed there
a. men como along who are willing to work
for wages they are employed. Their wages
are $s day. and they pay $3 for board,
sleeping in tents. There is some hydraulic
machinery on the ground and more is
from Winslow, Ariz. which ID about
125 miles distant, sixty miles
of this being through sand, which renders
freightinR difficult. Some of the gold
taken ont there runs in nuggets ~ large a.
nutmeg. and there seems to be plenty OF
it, although the men in charge deny that
big discoveries have vet been made. Bed
rock is reached at twelve to sixteen feet,
and reports circulated BY men who ought
to know are that lead has bsen struck, and
the discoveries at this point will equal
those Of Dutch Flat.
There are not less than 5000 men strung
along the river from DEVILS canyon to the
Colorado. This number 10 being augmented
daily, and. Is the average outfit coming
only has few sacks of -four and some
bacon, there will be suffering unless some
s5 Of the ;, Mormon ,, merchants ship in large
ousstssd With wagon tfain is tie Co co.
operative store at Bluff City, which sent
down the river few days ago ten six
horse teams with supplies from the points
nearest to the placsrs in Colorado. The
average number leaving each day IL ssti-
mated at 150. There is good wagon read
from this city. also from Dolores and
Mancos via Cortez.
The most remarkable thing about the
country after leavinR Bluff City 10 the total
absence OF timber. There are few 0cat-
tered cottonwood, some stuntsd cedar and
pinon. 1t is rocky country. Some pros
peotors are at work at points ten or fifteen
miles from the river, in small canyons. but
there being little water no results are OBJ
tanned Some rockers and sluics boxes are
being marked below Rineen, but owing TO
tho oily formation OF the rocks the quick
silver fails to attract.
Although the country 10 full Of poor men.
IL 10 not q poor mans camp. So far as dsvel-
opments have progressed. the main town
will be located where the Gable company's
placers are staksd, and Indications are that
ii will be a little the toughest place on
earth. Already several altsrcations have
taken place in that vicinity, but NO blood
shed followed. But all along the river can
be heard mutteripgs of men who. either
too lazy to pan or eager to brew trouble.
arc anxious to wrest from this COM
pany presumed valuable claims. This
feeling IL intensified daily, and causes no
little anxiety. There have been threats Of
a vigilance committee, bus thoro
are no trees in that section capable OF sup
porting the weight of \ man hanging by his
neck. There is not q woman in The dig
gings, with the exception of few Navajo
sauaws. Chinese will be excluded ~ soon
as camp organizations are effected.
No gold from the plaoers has been shipped
in this direction. but a 81 ,0O0, 900 train left
The Gable plscers two weeks ago for Win
low. There may be some trouble with the
Navajos, as their reservation in swarminQ
With whites, and some of these are pros
pecting the Carrizo mountains reRa rdless Of
,he Indian threats aud admonitiona