The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1896-08-13

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miraculous speed through every camp In
the Salt river valley and over to Prescott.
In less than two weeks ell that part OF
Arizona was deeply stirred by the reports
which no one seemed to have time to in
investigate, OF the richness OF the mines
that Stevens had found.
A thousand miners caught the fever so
badly that they started on foot scross the
country for Stevens camp. 1t was hot,
dry summer. and the journey entsiled
several weeks severe physical labor, tor
turing thirst and the endurance Of tenn
perature that usually stood 10 in the
shade. Having arrived at the Stevens
camp, they realized that there were claims
worth working for about 100 men. Sew
eral hundred claims were staked out in
less than day after the excited miners
got to the scene, but in fortnight the
camp population fell from 1900 to less
than 400. In month more 100 persons
were left to do all the mining. The camp
was abandoned entirely two years ego.
With the possible exception OF the rush
to the Leadville mining district in Colo
RADIO, there has been none anywhere in 40
years attended with the excitement that
followed the news OF the finding OF the
great deposits Of gold and silver in
Tombstone in 1879. Miners from every
part of the Pacific coast caught the fever
for gold, and as week after week samples
OF the Tombstone rock were more widely
circulated and rumors went forth concern
ing the fortune which this or that man
or company was getting out Of the hills
and mountains about the new camp,
thousands started for Tombstone. In
less than four months after Grid and
the Hawkins boys began getting several
thousand dollars day from their mines
there were 5000 persons in the camp, and
several months later Tombstone had q
population OF 10000 men and 200 women.
For seven months the daily output of
precious metal averaged about $50, 900.
A dozen men went up there nearly penni-
less and came away worth $500, 900 in less
than year six or seven men struck il
rich and sold out for 81 100000 each.
Fully half the population walked hun
dreds of miles to get there. No railroad
ran through southern Arizona in those
days and the awful Colorado and Mojave
deserts had TO be crossed in wagons or on
foot by the multitudes OF fortune seekers
from California. Desert sand-storms
were encountered and for days travellers
to Tombstone endured temperature OF
1870 degrees in the shade.
When Tombstone was reached there
were new privations and more physical
distress for the greater number. One
third OF the men had little money, or none
at all, and knew no way Of earning 1t ex.
cept by the hardest kind OF manual labor
to which they were unused. II cost 81 a
night to sleep in dirty, rough pine bunk.
Water sold at 20 cents gallon and q
small dish OF beans at 80 cents. Tallow
candles sold at 25 cents each and common
overalls brought S. each. Smoked hams
were worth $l2 each, and cowhide boots
were disposed OF as fast as they could be
hauled to camp across the desert from
Los Angeles and Yuma for $35 a pair.
In 1881 all the Tombstone mines that
paid well we're in the hands of few per.
sons and the population OF the place had
gone down to 5000. In 1883 the mines,
with two exceptions, began to play out
and the population dropped to 5000; now
Tombstone has less than 1000 souls.
In the last 10 years there have been
four or Eve stampedes to mining
camps in the southwest. Ia the middle
Of the winter of 1890 California as far
north as San Francisco, and Arizona, as
far eaet as Prescott and Phoenix, was
stirred by the news that rich placer mines
had been found by Mexicans in Lower
California, 20 miles south of San Diego
That was one OF the most spontaneous
stampedes known in that region. Sam
Piles of the pay dirt were sent to San
Diego to be assayed one Sunday afternoon.
The assayer found that it ran $500 TO the
ton. Somehow the secret got out and
was telegraphed up the Pacific coast.
The telegraph operators in San Diego
spent the next two days and nights in
sending and receiving messages about
the new diggings. Before Thursday
morning 5000 or 1000 men and youths
were on their way by cars, wagons.
horses, coasting vessels and on foot to San
Diego and Lower California. The hard
ware stores in Los Angeles and San Diego,
and in every village for 100 miles around
sold every pick-ax, shovel, tin dripping
pan, wash dish and milk and bread pan
they had on hand TO persons who equip
ped themselves for placer mining ami
started in day for the mines. For a
week little but the discovery of gold in
Lower California and the prospect of
another l849 gold boom on the Pacific
coast was talked in good part of Cali
fornia. Then, when the week was over,
the first persons who had been down to
the mines returned TO San Diego declar-
| ing that the stories Of wealth there were
lies.
The last of the big stampedes to min.
ing camps in the southwest was that to
Harqua Hala diggings in the spring oil
1891. The mines were found in the