The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-01-15
READS LIKE A ROMANCE.
How Two Portland Boys Discovered a
Gold Mine.

Forest
Rewarded.
The Rocky Mountain News, of Denver.
Colorado, has a sketch Of the Portland gold
mine in the famous Cripple Creek region.
which is interesting here for what it says
about two natives o: this city. James f.
Burns. the president of the company. and
James Doyle, the treasurer, both of whom
are reputed to have ''struck it RICH" are
from Portland.
The story of their find reads like page
from romance. In January, 1892, Doyle
| van Into the Cripple Creek region without
cent. and staked out a sixth of an acre on
| the side of Battle Mountain.
| Doyle traded one-half interest in his
diminutiye fraction for like interest in a
claim known as the Professor Grubb to his
| friend Burns. John, Hartman, who was
slightly acquainted with Burns and Doyle
strayed along one day and from the surface
indications believed that with a little work
| in the right place he could open up rich
| ore chute.
eff you can go to work and do it," was
| Burns's reply, Eve will give you one-third
interest in the claim"
The proposition was satisfactory to Har-
|
| and started to dig. In a few feet the vein
was uncovered and the arst assay showed
| that it was highgrade ore. The partners
kept their discovery profound secret. and
| it. was more than a year afterwards before
a single item in regard to the Portland
having ''struck it, found itssway into
print, and then an accident was the cause
1 of it becoming known.
| After the ore chute was discover ed the
three partners were we'll aware-that..if theil
find became known there would be no end
| to the litigation which they would be COM
PEELED to fight before securing a patent for
theirsclaim. A shaft house measuring l0x12
feet was erected and they worked their lit
| tie mine with the greatest secrecy. Some
ore sacks were borrowed and as sack was
| filled.it was hidden under pile of waste
rock. A close watch was keptffor strangers
1 and when one was seen approaching one of
the three would meet him on the outside
and talk about the prospects of the camp
an incidentally ''cuss'' their.bad luck in not
being able to get any assay better that a
''trace or a trace and a half.'' Dark nights
| the three prospective millionaires carried
and filed ore sacks on their backs down
the side of the mountain to their cabin on
Wilson creek. When four or I've tons had
been accumulated they made shipment to
one of the smelters and the check which
| they received in payment called for about
$3.50. sB &rs
| This was a big sum of money to men who
had been subsisting on bacon, corn bread
| and flap jacks, and doing their own wash
| ing and mending. They continued to snug
| gle out their ore in this fashion for twelve
months. and finally applied for patent for
| full lode claim. They were the first to
discover ore in this mountain and felt that
in justice they were entitled to. 1900 feet
along the vein and i50-feet on each side of
| it even if there happened to be prior loca-
tions in conflict. They made mistake how
ever. 7-s 47-A m
One dark night they drove four horse
wagon to their little shafthouse and piled
| about five tons of ore in it. This was the
first vehicle of any kind which had ever
climbed the hill and the ground was rough.
The sun was.beginning to show family in
the east when the wagon started for the
| road at the base. 1t had not proceeded but
short distance when one of the hind
wheels fell into small hole made by some
prospector andgthe axle was broken short
| off. 1t was too late to, get another wagon
and transfer the load. and broad daylight
found the wagon load of sacked ore on the
side of the hill. fr0.H
| The prospectors working in the neig hbor-
hood were attracted by the strange sight,
| and it did not take them long in tracing the
| TRACKS to the Portland shaft house. Now
| trouble commenced in earnest for the Port
| land owners. Adveres after adveres were
| filed against the issuance of the patent and
| the district court was kept busy hearing in
unctions against The Portland. All of the
best legal talent in the state were employed
| on one side or the other. The Portland
owners trusted their case in the hands of
| 7. NJ. Patterson. and later he was assisted
| by Wolcott and Vale. Many of the iniunc.
lions asked for We're not granted, but quite
few were, but never at any time was the
| Portland completely tied up, although at
one time they were not allowed to take out
ore oily in space not much largersthan an
ordinary bed room. The mine continued
| to ship enough 10 keep up legal expenses
and this was no small item.
| The Rocky Mountain News says that
| finally all legal matters have been adjusted
| and the mine is making much money for its
| own els.
| AS the Denver papers tells the story,
James 4. Burns, the president, treasurer
and general manager of the Portland, was
born in Portland. Me-, forty-twe years ago,
| and had seen the ups and downs of life long
| before he came to seek his fortune in Colo
radios great gold camp. When mere lad,
| being of an adventurous turn of mind. he
ran away to sea. One voyage on merchant
man knocked all the love of the sea out of
| him,and be was content to return home and
| attend school in his native town, The News
says that after graduating fl ON the city
schools he spent two years .at Bowdoin,
which cannot be SO as his name is not in
| the Bowdoin general catalogue. He tried
the study of law. but not liking it learned
| the machinst's trade. Soon after complet-
| ing his apprenticeship he travelled through
| South and Central America and the South
ern States in the employ of the Colwell
| Iron wor ks. at a big salary. erecting sugar
| machinery. The Peru gold and silver mines
attracted his attention, and he resigned
| his position and went to Peru. Here he
made fortune in few years, and sank it
again in a gold mine in Cuba.
He then returned to the United States.
dead broke. and went to New Orleans. ana
| was fortunate enough to win 100000 in a
| 1otf after his nj