The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-11-27

gold possessions the greatest In the cX-
plored world"
Colonel Sevcnoaks has visited all the
great gold-minlng regions In the civil
lied world. and, being a practical min
ing man and engineer, his opinion on n
matter OF this kind. Is certainly worthy
OF consideration, as he is man now
past seventy years Of age.
Although posScsSor OF greater wealth
than any OF the crowned heads Of Eu-
rope, the bonanza king, or odd Man
Stratton." as he is Familiarity called by
the miners OF that prosperous camp Is
the plain, impetuous carpenter that
made long shnvings at his bench In the
little old shop In Colorado Springs for
the street uTchins TO play with, HIS
home is little frame building Of I'VE
or six rooms. and Is furnished comfort-
ably kut far from SNOWY manner.
MryStrattOn was a very poor man I'M
I'll fortune favored him at Cripple Creek
q few years ago. He rs II man OF cdu-
cation and natural refinement. keen
PERCEPTION. and capable OF careful
thought. He has always been an In
dustrious worker. and would have been
considered IA prosperous man but Tor
his desire to make II stake In silver min
Ing. In this way he sunk all he could
make, and when the great gold camp at
Cripple Greek was opened four years
ago he was poor man.
WAS BORN IN INDIANA.
Mr.. stratton was born in Jefferson
Vile. Ind. In 1915, and there learned the
carpenter trade. He went to Colorado
Springs in 1872 and to-day. at the age
OF forty.slx years. by reason OF the
hnrdships he has endured In his search
for wealth. his hair and mustache are
almost white. He received his first les
son In mining early inter he reached
Colorado,
Imbued with the idea that II wps only
necessary to own an interest In mine.
or rather prospect, TO become wealthy
he soon invested his savings. amount
ing to 5000, In Il prospect In the san
Juan country. In the southwestern part
M Colorado. He paid out his cash for
n onc-lfth interest before he had ever
seen the property. Had he taken the
precaution to first make n thorough IN
gpcCtlon he would doubtless have kept
his money, or else hayeturned II over to
some other sharper instead OF the per.
son who ilecccd him. not on sailed
mine, but on property In which the
owners had not even gone TO that eN-
pcnse. There was positively nothing
In sight but n hole In the ghound on the
side OF mountain when he arrived AT
his mine, the old Yrctaba, In Cunning
hmm gulch.
After continued failures, trying his
luck in nearly all the camps Of the state,
having In the meantime taken course
I'm nasaylng and mlncrnlogy, he was one
Of the first to enter the Cripple Creek
district. and was the first person to
discover gold by the aid OF blow-pipc
IIr had about made up his mind to
leave the camp, and was packing up
his few traps" to 20. when he discover.
ed the yellow metal In piece Of ilont
pIcltcd up on the Lone star claim
owned by Dick Wooton the Indian
Creek" This was on Gold lllll.
DECIDES TO PROSPECT ALONE
stratton again grew tired Of being
hampprcd with parties. nnl dociIeu 20
"gn II" alone. aud selected Battle
Mountain ng the site for his prospects
He was discouraged, but he k"pt peg
glng away aud finally on July 4, 1921,
he received the first assay from the
mine that IL now known nH the inlc.
pcnlcncr. Experts had looked upon ms
rinItng and pronounced ihrm worthless
Ito would ret an occasional good assay,
Int the gold was cluFlvc. Ills friends
referred 10 him MS the Hermit Of Bat.
ITO Mountain" lie was heavily In
debt but kept AT II.
ono day liz concluded 10 have II load
of Tho biz powders which lay about on
his property scnl 10 the stamp min ana
inptrd. The experiment whs n fortunate
ono. FOR the stun ran az to the ton IN.
dor tho stamps, and from the very SPOT
where the hrHt nrruy was REQUIRED the
orc chute began, and " yet being FOL.
lowed. cnclI dry growing riohcr, unill
now ii IN considered by expert mlucrH
10 bc tho rlClu1t IN the entire world, 80
far ~ has got developed
HAS ma ECCENTRtCtTlE5,
ttlnqlncc ho hnr become man ~ I'M
told wealth that NtrnttUnH pecenlrlCl-
lion hive begun 80 show Themselves, ur
r,thcr Ia hc noticed hy the public No
aim M money would tnmpt him 10 par,
With tho Independence property, for az
ho iruthfuly nuts II, "Nhou the ore W
in tho mine no one cnn steal IT, nnl
bnnlta can't fail with my money IN Their
ynulia nnd whenever want money for
anything have only IN take the ore out
OF the mine aud sell H. For these ron
sons I Mn not trying 10 take out ne
ORC, but am content with developing tho
property aud Just seeing how inucli
thotc w In H."
Hundreds Of bcgglug lctlora rlcna
from fpouulHturB, adventurous ana ny
ypniifofpon, nrn received NJ tho poHti
ONCE for him dhlly not one IN n thou
rnnd NJ which over meets his En2n.
Mnuy peculiar methods nTo adopted ny
those writer's. IN the vain hope that
ihnIr communications WIN pnHd llh ptl'
,,.,t, 0pprOturv and tOuph llU pkO or tho