St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-21
SUDDENLY RICH TWICE
REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE OF
THE LATE DANIEL HILL.
HIS FIRST GREAT NUGGET.
He Got Over Fourteen Thousand
for It-His Second MaEnifi-
cent Find.

Ddulel I'LL, VIII ufSo VI OSllil
tremens in a Jail in Los Angeles sew
eral years ago, was the luckieSt man
I ever knew or heard of in getting
suddenly rich twice. He dug two
chunks Of solid gold out of the
gravel as simply and easily as man
rolls a stone out of the hillside. The
first nugget was found in June, 1866,
in the Ruby Belle claim, north of
Plumas. 1t was as large as a mans
head, and was combined with water
stained quartz. c. P. Huntington's
brother in Sacramento bought it
for SIT, 600 cash down. In the fall of
1871 Hill was placer mining on his
own account down in Dutch Flats,
and he washed out another nugget
of gold and quartz about the size
and shape of horses hoof. He quit
work and went right down to
/ Frisco, where he got $14, 200 for his
lucky find. He had spent every
dime of his little fortune in six
months, and went back to hard work
in the mountains again. But that
ended his streak of luck, and he
never made over $40 in any one day
after that; more often 50 or SO a day,
and sometimes not a dime.
The Miners Association of Cali
fornia has among it's great mass of
literature connected with the gold
industry and the development of
mining operations in this state many
interesting facts concerning big mug
gets of gold. The largest nugget
ever found in this state was that
known as the Oliver Martin chunk.
1t weighed Isl pounds ounces. The
precious ore was mixed with white
quartz, and it was sold, after having
been converted into bullion, for $685.
27O. Hundreds of pictures have been
MADE OF THE GOLDEN MASS
and all the schoolboys in California
are expected to know the weight,
size and value of the famous nugget.
There are bronze fac-SimileS of the
chunk in many mineral collections
in museums in Europe and America.
The nugget was found near Camp
Corona, in Tuolumne county, in Cen
was Nov. IS, 1854.
Martin, poor miner, who had not
even the proverbial dollar to his
name, and a companion named
John Flower were tramping on their
way up country to new diggingS.
They camped one night in a noun
tain canon, when a sudden and ter
rife in CT IN hn II III
ness. The water in the canon stream
suddenly rose. The miners attempt
ed to climb the hill, but the flood
overlook them, and both were car
ried down the stream. Flower was
drowned, but Martin, though severe
ly injured, escaped. While trying
to bury his companions body by the
roots of an upturned tree Martin
discovered the rich nugget that bears
his name. He was too weak to
move it. He attempted to reach
some neighboring miners, but faint
ed from exhaustion, and was found
on the trail by them. When able
to walk, some weeks later, Martin
took them to the spot and the nugget
was removed. Martin made the mug
get the basis Of a large fortune that
he accumulated in the next two dec
| AIDES.
In August, 1869, w. A. Parish, A.
| Wood, j. Winstead, F. N. L. Cover
ing and Harry Warner were part
ners in the Monumental claim, near
| Sierra ButteS, in Sierra county, In
the last week of that month thew
discovered gold nugget which
weighed 1888 ounces troy. 1t was
sold to R. B. Woodward, of San Fran
cisco, who paid $21, $685. SO for it for
exhibition purposes. 1t was after
ward melted and $17,65494 was real
lied from it.
Inc biggest nugget of gold ever
found in Shasta county was discov-
cred in the spring of 1870. One day
three frenchmen, two of whom were
named Oliver Longchamp and Fred
Rochon, drove into the old town
OF SHASTA In search of spot to mine.
Ihey happened to have business
with A. Coleman, a dealer in hard
ware and notions. The three asked
MIN Where there was a good nlace
10 mine. He carelessly pointed in a
northerly direction, and said, 60
over 10 Spring creek" They took
ms advice, located a claim ON the
creek some eight miles north of Red
o1ng, and few days later one of the
frenchmen picked up a nugget of
gold valued at $4,000. Ten wears
later a miner named Dent Youne.
FOUND $500 nugget on Flat creek
near where the Frenchmen found
THEIR FAMOUS CHUNK.
| fIumas, though one of the richest
INNING counties in California. has
welded few valuable nuggets. The
largest was found by a Chinaman
near the mouth of Nelson creek. and
was worth $500. A miner at Eliza
pethtoWn, named Archie Little. dis
! covered 1880 nugget, and Messrs
rays and Steadman found one above
MohaWk Valley, near the county line
| mat weighed 420 ounces and was worth
| Sc, 700. GO WI III
| Sierra is justly famed for its valu-
aole masses of gold, found both pure
anu mixed with quartz. George Fl
norman and Frank Aman found near
| dlosonvllle, in 1867, a nugget that
| weighed over 100 ounces, and which
was worth $1,7O0. In 1851, at French
Ravine, lump of quartz and gold to-
gether was discovered from which
] SS,OOo in gold was taken. In 1856, in
the same raVine, a still more valuable
| nugget OF gold and quartz was found.
and from it $4,000 was obtained. At
minnesota, in the same county a
| nugget that weighed 266 ounces was
! found. This was valued at $4,000. At
French Ravine, in 1850, a mass of gold
and quartz was picked UP that
weighed 263 ounces, and was worth
| S4S93. In 1870 a splendid nugget of
gold was discovered in the Rain
bow mine at Allegheny, which was
Immediately shipped to London, and
was there sold for $23, 600. In 1860 a
chunk of gold that weighed 95 pounds
and 6 ounces was diSonvorad IN 49,