The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-03-17
Rich
Hines That
Have
Been Lost and
Found
Red Rock Quartz Float Was Often
Very Deceptive
The Tale of Two Prospectors Who Spent
Time and Money and Had All
Their Work for Naught

Their work tor Naugnt
at is singular, but fact. - said an old
5rospector to Deadwood s. D., Pioneer
reporter, that MANY times while indl
viduals or parties have been travelling
through the Black Hills country rich gold
float and rock carrying other valuable
metals have been picked up that were not
prospected until camp or some OF the
towns were reached, often several days
after the find. The ore would be pros
pected or shown to some one who knew,
or at least thought he knew, something
about rock.
less his own assayer' re Motlu putGH Eyer &c
the ore in mortar until 1t was me as
dust and then pan it down until nothing
was left but the gold. a pestle and NOR
tar and pan were as much OF the pros
pector's outfit as pick and shovel or
sour dough and bacon, or pipe and hard
tobacco Very little attention was gwen
TO fire assaying; in fact IL was common
saying among prospectors that If 1t
won't pan it S no good, hence II always
followed that the ore proSpected carried
gold or nothing in his opinion. Many
times when the ore was proved to be rich
the place where it was picked up could
not be found again. In the summer OF
1877 there was an old man at Central
who made business of picking red rasp-
berries, which he found quite plentiful
in the mountains west OF Central. At
night he usually returned with eight or
ten quarts OF this very palatable fruit.
Occasionally he would stay out over
night, especially in the latter part of the
season, when the berries were growing
scarce near town. On one occasion when
away over night and several miles from
home, he came upon place where 1t
looked as though many years before some
work had been done. There was a dump
leveled off on which was thousand
pounds or more of deep red rock, which
much resembled the ores that were being
mined at Central called cement.
The only lack of resemblance was that
this deep red rock did not show the quartz
pebbles found in the Central cement.
His next thought was, Where did it come
from?' Yes, it had come out of the bank
right in front of him, which looked as
though short tunnel had been run into
it, but was now caved in, as the sag,
or what appeared to be an open cut, was
considerably higher than the level OF the
dump and showed nothing but loose sur
face rock and dirt that contained no pieces
of ore. After looking over the place he
concluded to take some of the ore to town
with him, after first filing his pals with
berries, his cotton handkerchief full of
ore, making quite a load. On reaching
town the first thing done was to find a
buyer for the fruit, which he did at the
Pacific House at so cents q quart. He
also left his handkerchief full of rock
at the same place, giving permission to
Mr.. Leppla to show it to any one who
might care to look at it, as he did not
know what its value might be, if it had
any, he not being miner. The next day
two prospectors were testing for gold
some ores from prospect called the Es-
ot A To Il NV Hon
mans livery stable. While thus busily
engaged Mr.. Leppla son Harry (then
boy, now a man and proprietor of a sue
cessful business at Newcastlel, came over
to the stable, and after looking on awhile
said: The old gentleman that sells us
which he thinks has gold in it; would
you like to see it?' Yes, of course, an
swered the prospectors. Henry returned
in few minutes with a piece of ore deep
red in color and about the size of a CO.
coanut, and handing it to one of the
men, asked What do you think of it?'
why it looks good, but you can t
tell anything about its value without
crushing it and banning it, and asked
if he might break it. Yes, if you wish,
he said. 1t was broken and on close eX-
animation many colors OF free gold, both
coarse and fine, could be seen with the
naked eye. After all had looked at it
PERMISSION was dShetl Ol lltIIN 10 DlGdh
off piece and prospect it, which was
granted.
The pieces of prospect would not
weigh more than One-fourth OF pound
and yielded fully SIX grains OF gold. The
two prospectOrS were much excited, ana
wanted to see the raspberry man at once,
but he was not to be found that day.
The next morning at daylight the two
prospectors were up and on the lookout
for a party that was said TO be going
with the old man that had found the ore
to make some locations on it, but they
wereit too late; the party had already gone.
The day was foggy and this party hunted
all day but could not find the place In
fact the old man became SO bewildered
that he would have lost himself had the
Others not kept the bearings. In the
evening the party returned after hav-
ing ridden fully thirty miles up and
down the hills and we're very much dis
gusted. The old man was taken sick and
remained SO for some time, and when he
recovered went back to his home in the
states. The two prospectors have spent
many days yes, two months-but M to
date have been unsuccessful. They are
though the rains and suowslides NAV
have covered up the opening the old man
saw, but piece of the float would be
all the finger board they would want, as
with the perseverance of time and the
determination OF Gid Nick, they would
surely trace it to its source. OF course the
field lies wide open, and who can find it
Will have a fortune.