The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-11-29
DOES con- GROU
Some Veteran Miners who Pretend to BE
lieve That III Does.


They were all wcathor-bcaton trMl
blazers. who had led the march Of civil-
cation into the mountains, ana ass they
(oastcd their shins by the big stove in Lon
Pickctts hotel bar at Mclrose their con-
NcrsatiOn wandered from the recent cleo
ton and the departed giOTies OF other
days TO the latest discoveries in science.
John Ilelehan had just finished read
ing from a mining journal about Pro-
fessOr EmmOns discovery of the method
of TRANSMITTING silver into gold.
Il think Emmons is humbug. said
old Judge Lonely California AfSo-
maui. The old alchemists. YOU know,
tried that but they might az wei have
Tiled 10 make an apple seed. Nature
holds the germ and all the sclentisls
who initiate her can do IS TO quicken It's
i've heard ten of gold growing re-
marked VIII Robbins.
so have j. said the Judge. but You
have never seen IL grow, have Nout
don't believe all the yarns these experts
Boys" spoke mp John Treanor. per
haps ] have got some queer ola noiohs
slowed away under this diggin hat OI
I've oecn prOsPcctor ai.l nave be-l
dom some thinking. And tell YOU mo"
that | believe gold does grow. lWth.f
years ago 1 struck the Locust and sank
shaft. Al was silver ore. and after olt-
gin for while 1 gave IL mp in disgust.
Then 1 wandered over 10 the other slit
of the range and located the Banner, %
copper mine now ia tl1 possession ol tlc
Anaconda Company. nf0-e eyed di0unp
FOR awhile. and eight years ago : went
back 90 my old love. The Locust. Hang
mo IL ! could believe my, eyes boys;
when ! found the prcttiest ledge OF Golu
ore right where the silver ledge Was. IL
was as pretty as a picture. and ] kept
right on Oigsin'. ana have been dissin
in that hole ever since. IL seemed TO me
that i'm the places where the water struck
10. n grew richer. i run in three tunnels
al the bottom but found the gold was
not yet ripe. so l just closed up the tam
nels and let them rest Tor lew years.
Blame me II l don tnlhK iaHk
Stebbins does the same thing, said
Jack Fiice. Hank lives up in Soap
Guch and has claim he calls the
Bclchcr. lie discovered II thirty years
ago when Wash StaplctOn was making
bullets i'm his lead mine TO Kill Indians
with. II Is I'm q funny formation Tor
that part of the country. 10 Us IN a
reef OF sand lying between the lime
formation that borders ON the MclrOse
Valley and the stratihod guciSs lorna
ton that runs from that point TO the
base of Red Mountain. Thirty years
ago Hank discovered that there were
glObulps of silver in the sand. and lo-
to pay and he abandoned it, Ten
years ago he went back TO the old mine
and began turning over the sand. lie
began 10 md chunks Of gold instead Of
silver. lie has a good thing OF 10 now.
lie mines II like the Mcxicans used TO
mine u years ago. lie cuts stairs
I'm the sand, and takes the rock up IN
"a candle-hOX and sorts 10 over. Now aii
he has got 10 do when he wants 20 make
q stake is TO 20 down 10 the sand-uile
and wigglc q. crow-har around for "a few
minutes when up comes "a piece OF shin
ing gold. Several capitalists have att
tempted 10 get hold of the mine. and one
Of HeinZo's agents made him good
OFFER for &c. bat Hank won't sell. for
he is sure he has a fortune III the gold
keeps on growing. Butter lnter-Moun-
tain.