The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1896-12-28
MILLIONS IN GOLD
Tennessee Capitalists Return from Visit
TO LumpkiH County.
JUDGE MURRAY WITH THEM
Colonel Duncan and Major John P.
Williams, Both Capitalists, Along.
Field Richest in the World.

A party of Tennessee gentlemen stopped
over i'm Atlanta last week on their way
home from visit TO Dahlonega and they
We're enthusiastic on the subject of gold
mining. They were all practical nan. one
Of them, Judge W. W. Murray. is associate
justice Of the United States court Of pri-
waite land claims. a position which he has
held since 1891 He is one Of the most
distinguished lawyers OF Tennessee. One
Of his associates was Colonel ". N. Dun
can. a bank president of Nashville and the
organizer Of the Tennessee Coal. Iron and
Railroad Company. Another gentleman IN
the party was Major John T.. Williams.
prominent business man of Nashville.
Judge Murray has been Investigating the
Dahlonega gold belt since 1889. and he has
done more in the way Of judicious devel-
opment than any other man who has op-
Grated there lie became Interested in Dahl
lonega years ago in reading whites sta
tistics Of Georgia." in which he learned
that gold nuggets were frequently picked
up in the streets Of the mountain town af-
ter rain Another fact which impressed
him was the statement that the people lived
to an old age up there. often reaching
ninety and sometimes going away above
one hundred.
one year he went up there for rest from
the practice of his profession He became
interested IN the mining. but soon came 10
the conclusion that the methods in vogue
were not getting ore than small pro-
portion of the gold OF the ore. AS is well
known. the hydraulic process is used in
the Dahlonesa section. There has never
been any deep mining and when the water
level was reached and the suphurets were
encountered the plant was moved to another
place. Nothing has ever been done in
Lumpl<n in the way of treating the sui
phurcts. Judge Murray saw that it stood to
reason that if there was gold in the sur
face ore, there ought TO be as much. II
not more. to the ton below water level.
For depth Of thirty or fifty feet the sui
phur has passed off by action of the water
and atmosphere through the millions of
years that have elapsed since the veins
were formed. Judge Murray went back to
Dahlonoga year after year and always
Joined the prospectors and old miners in
their jaunts through the woods and over
the mountains. He has carried a pan and
"A hammer many day on these trips. He
is a companionable gentleman, and the
miners liked 10 have him along AS they
grew to know him well they told him
many a secret Of theirs. about where TO
pan to get good color. The judge seems
10 have looked at a gold proposition much
as he would at a legal proposition He took
In all sides and he learned whore the best
veins were and what lots were richest.
From time to time he bought land and min
eral interests, and when he had the oppor-
tunity he purchased a mountain which had
never been worked. 1t right the
belt, and he believed that Il would show
up well. Recently he has been developing
that property. and others. too and if his
results became known in Trail Creek camp
or Cripple Creek they would be depopulat-
ed the miners would say they did not
believe il. Without violating any confidence
It can be sad that his assays were equally
as good "a those of Mr.. Christian Wahl.
mention of which was made In The Con-
stitution few days ago, and Mr.. Vail got
from SO to 81. 100 ton. The lowest assay
which Judge Murray obtained SIS d
ton.
Talking to some of his friends Of large
capital about his finds they grew in
tercsted and this trip was planned. They
propose to DO. but here ia one remark
which Judge Murray made:
Georgia is the richest gold field In the
world today. veteran miner who has
been through here told me that he had
been I'm every rich mining camp from
south Africa to Cripple Creek and Cali
fornia and none of them equaled the Dab
lonega belt Georgia's gold is going to at
tract tho attention of the world and 1t