Graham guardian., 1895-07-05
HALF A TON OF SILVER,
Two Arizona Prospectors Find the Largest
Nugget Known.

Nugget Known.
From Peach Springs Mohave
County Arizona, comes the story
of the finding of nugget,or bowld-
er rather, of pure silver, such as
there has been no record of in the
history of mining in the West.
The bowlder weighed about half a
ton, and its value is anything from
$4,000 to $4,000. 1t was found
by William Tucker and John Doyle
both old prospectors, and they
have kept the facts to themselves
heretofore because of the chance
that there was more silver where
this lump came from, and they de-
sired to get the best location for
themselves before letting the rest
of the world into the secret.
The find was made on the 10Th
of June. The men had been pros
pectlng in the Death Valley min
ing region and had started across
country to the Grand Canyon of
the Colorado to get into a little
pleasanter region for their summer
| work.
They were camped on the Beach
emmigrant road just where the cut
off comes down over the low roll
ing hills to the railroad track,
about four miles from Peach Springs
and the nugget was lying within
800 feet of the railroad track and
not more than 100 feet from the
main wagon road. 1t projected
from the hillside in plain view OF
the road, and stood in such posi-
tion that more than one man had
probably sat upon it to gaze up OF
down the railroad track. Being
exactly similar in appearance to
hundreds of other loose rocks in
that region it had escaped partic
ular notice until Mr.. Tucker came
along and rested his hand upon it
Both Doyle and Tucker are ole
miners, and Tucker especially was
struck with the peculiar "fee" O.
this bowlder. He is familiar with
the form of silver known as "blach
metal" found in the dolomlte lime
stone in the Mescal mine in Cali
fornia, and almost intuitvely i
!, struck him that here was piece
of the same black metal.
He had gone out to bring his
horses into camp when the rocl
attracted his attention, and trying
to break off fragment he discov
cred that the rock was solid metal
He tried to lift it, but could not
) and then haven't and brougn
= Doy1ep6ut to help him. A littl
digging disclosed bowlder In tn
. shape Of an oblong oval, something
like the back of turtle, about tw
t and half feet long, of the sam
width, and one foot thick. Th
top was smooth and lustrous, an,
the under surface was coated VIII
I scales of the black metal.
: Mr.. Tucker says the nugget ha
e all the appearance of having bee
! thrown up from great vein an
smelted by the flow Of the Law
which abounds in that region, coo
S ing in the form in which it wa
: found; and this theory is borne OF
a by the find Of at least dozen sin
: liar pieces, though much smalle
in the same vicinity. These piece
of pure silver weighed from five t
S fifty pounds each.
= Tucker and Doyle have locate
i a mining claim where the bowlde
was found and intend to sink
shaft and drift in search of th
main vein.
Mr.. Tucker says that in 1888
/ piece of smelted silver weighin
$ four pounds was found by Villa
|. Hooker two miles west of PeaC
= Springs, but attracted no attention
the supposition being that it ha
9 been stolen from a Mexican smel
It er and subsequently lost by tt
e thief.