Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1895-03-22
CHUNKS on GOLD.
DIG NUGGETS STUMBLED UPON
BY LUCKY MINERS.
Tho Largest Found In California
Weighed 151 Pounds Six Ounces,
and Was Worth $S6,27O-Lots
OF Nuggets Worth $4,000.
esTHAT story inlthe Sun about
the finding OF gold mug
get in the mining regions

Arizona for forty-fve years, "seems
to have made n great commotion
among those miners down. in South
America, but that was only q boy of
nugget by tho side of many that
have been taken out of tho earth and
rocks of California. Daniel Hill, who
died of delirium tremcns in n Jail in
Los Angeles several years ago. was
the luckiest man 1 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 n
man rolls stone out of tho hillside.
Tho first nugget Was found in June,
1866, in the Ruby Bell claim, north of.
Plumas. 1t was rs large us mans
head and was combined with water
stained quartz. G. 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 in Dutch Flats, and, by
hunky, he washed ont another nugget
OF gold and quartz about the size and
shape of II horses hoof. He quit
work and went right down to Frisco,
where he got $4,000 for his lucky
find. He had spent every cent Of his
little fortune in six months, and went
bnck to hard work in the mountains
again. But that ended his streak OF
luck, and he never made over $40 in
any one day alter that; more often SO
or So day, and sometimes not
dime"
The Miners Association of Cnlifor-
mia has among its great mass of liter
0turc connected with the gold in lbs
try and the development of mining
operations in this State many inter
esting facts concerning big nuggets of
gold. The largest nugget ever found
in California was that known as tho
Oliver Martin Chunk. 1t weighed 15l
pounds six ounces. The precious ore
was mixed with white quartz, and il
was sold after being converted into
bullioa for S36,27O. Hundreds Of
pictures have been made OF tho golden
mass, and all the schoolboys in Cali
fornia arc expected TO know tho
weight, size and value OF the famous
nugget. There are bronze fac SMILES
of the chunk in MANY mineral collec-
tions in museums in Europe and Amer
ica. Tho nugget was found near Camp
Corona in Tuolumne County, in Cen
trail California. Tho date of the find
ing was November 18th, 1854. Mar
tin, poor miner, who had not even
the proverbial dollar to his name, and
companion, named John Flower,
were tramping on their way up coun.
try to new digSings. They campo /
one night in mountain canon, when
sudden and terrific rain storm cnn,e
up in the darkness. The water in the
canon stream suddenly rose. The
miners attempted to climb the hill,
but the flood overlook them and both
were carried down the stream. Flower
WAS drowned, but Martin, though SOW
erely injured, escaped. While trying
to bury his companions body by the
roots of an upturned tree, Martin dis
covered the rich nugget that bears his
name. He WAS too weak to move it.
He attempted to reach some peighbor-
ing miners, but tainted from exhaus-
ton, and was found on the trail by
them. When able to walk, some weeks
later, Martin took them to tho spot
and the nugget was removed Martin
made the nugget the basis of large
fortune that he accumulated in the
next two decades.
The biggest nugget OF gold ever
found in Shasta County was discov-
cred in the spring of 1870. Ono day
three Frenohmen, two Of whom were
named Oliver Longchamp. and Fred.
Rochon, drove into the old town OF
Shasta in search of spot to mine.
They happened to have some business
with A. Coleman, n dealer in hardware
and notions. The three asked him
where was good place to mine. He
carelessly pointed in northerly d.
rection and said go over to Spring
Creek.p They took his advice, located
claim on the creek sume eight miles
north of ReddinR, and few days
later one of the Frenchmen picked up
nugget of gold valued at $4,000. Ten
years later minor named Dent Young
found $500 nugget on Flat Greek,
near where the Frenchmen found their
famous chunk.
Sierrais Justly famed for it's valuable
masses of gold, found both pure and
mixed with quartz. George N. Hor-
man and Frank Amnn found near Glib
sonville in 1867 n nugget that weighed
over 100 ounces and WAS worth Si700.
In 1851 at French Ravine lump OF
quartz and gold together was discov-
cred from which $4,000 in gold was
taken. In 1856 in the same ravine q
still more valuable nugget of gold and
quartz WAS found, and from it $40, 00C
was obtained.
In Placer County in 1859 Edward
| Gilbert, in his DRIFT mine near Butch.
er Ranch, twelve miles from Auburn,
found nugget of gold and quartz
that weighed twenty pounds.s Eight
pounds of this he sold at SIG an
ounce, or S1536, while the remaining
twelve pounds we're sold for Sl2 an
ounce, or $1728, making S3264 for
the nugget. The same man, many
years later, discovered in the same
mine another very valuable nugget.
1t wns ten inches long, from three to
seven inches wide, and over an inch
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