The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-25
CHEELEY FAIRY LAND
A Remarkable and Strange Discovery
in Madison County.
MILLIONS OF WILD GEESE
Watching the Process of Incuba-
ton in the Shallow Lake Of
Warm Water-T he Eggs Crack
and the Coslings Ouack

A companion story to the famous
tales OF the wonderful vinegar and
alum mirieS of Beaverhead comes from
Madison county and relates to another
most remarkable discovery. As the dis
coverer OF the latest wonder is none
otner than w. w. Cheeley, editor of the
Virginia City Madisonian, for whose
truth and veracity every man, woman
and child in Madison county is ready
TO Vouch, there can be little doubt
about the accuracy of the story.
A week or two ago Mr.. Cheeley, with
several other old-timers, went on a
prospecting trip into the mountains
northeast of Virginia City, having ie-
ceivel reliable information of a rich
gold find in a part of the mountains
that had remained, prior to that time,
entirely unexplored and almost mac
cessfble. The gold discovery of which
they had heard had been made last
summer by an old prospector who has
since died, and Mr.. Cheeley and his
companions had faith in what they
had heard. For seven days they climb
ed mountains and traversed regions
never before visited by white men and
probably not by human beings, but
they could not find the locality de-
scribed to them. They finally made up
their minds that they had lost their
bearings and gave up the search. They
then return to the Ruby valley. AS
game was plenty they had no trouble
in procuring all they needed.
A camp was made and Mr.. Cheeley
started out by himself to kill a bear
or two for provision. He climbed
some distance farther up the mount
ain, then struck out along the side of
which, for miles apparently, the
mountain was like a field in a valley.
There was little or no snow. The
ground rose for a distance to some
height. Mr.. Cheeley walked to the
summit of the rise and then his eyes
looked upon one of the most beautiful
and yet strangest sights they had ever
seen.
Beyond him was stretched out a
beautiful lake, covering probably half
a dozen acres. The banks of the lake
and for some distance back were COW
cred with a luxuriant growth of grass
as If for some natural reason snow had
never fallen on that portion of the
ground. But strangest of all, the sur
face of the lake and the banks were
alive with thousands of wild geese,
ducks and other Aquatic fowl of all
sorts of styles and shapes, some of
them strange and unknown. AS Mr..
Cheeley approached the edge OF the
lake the birds took flight and they be-
came so thick above him as TO obscure
the sky, and their cries were deafen-
ing. While looking at the water of the
lake he saw a little duck bob out upon
the surface and while he was wonder
ing at the curious thing ne saw a Cos
ling, appearing as If IL had just been
Matched, come up out of the water and
PADDLE away. Then another and an
other bobbed up and while he looked
fully a hundred or more of the little
q rp6 On hA -tHY~fa -
the lake as II by magic and while Mr.
Cheeley was still puzzling over the
strange sight he examined the lake
more closely and found that the water
was very shallow and that the bottom
was covered with eggs and while he
watched he saw several of the eggs
crack open and a gosling or duck pop
out and bob UP to the surface of the
lake. He placed his hand in the water
and found IL hot and the mystery was
explained.
The lake, through some peculiar
quality of the water, was a natural in
cubator and instead of boiling the eggs
as might be supposed would be the
result, IL Matched them. The heat aris-
ing from the lake also explained the
absence of snow in its vicinity, and the
luxuriant vegetation on its banks. Mr..
Cheeley realized that he had made one
of the greatest discoveries of the world
and to reap a deserved benefit of IL
he lost no time In locating all the
ground around the lake and then re-
turned to his companions to whom he
related his wonderful discovery. Nat
urally they didn't believe him and even
refused to accompany him to witness
the proofs, but looked at him with
suspicion and pity and fastened his
return to Virginia City. which place
was reached a few days later. Since
then, however. another trip was made
to the wonderful lake and indisputable
proofs of the facts as narrated were
brought back.