The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-18
LUCK IN THE DIGcINGs.
Popped the Question and Found a
Fortune in the Scufiie over "seai-
ing IL With a kiss"


ing II with a kiss"
From the Butte Daily Inter Mountain.
at was in the spring OF 1885," said an old
forty-niner, that four of us, healthy,
active, hopeful, and strong, left Marys-
vile, Cal. one bright June morning on
a prospecting tour up the Yuba river. 1t
was no trick to make money those days.
Everyone had a sackful or so Of gold
dust lying around somewhere. Burglars
and thieves and road agents were not
heard of at that time in those parts, and
an unusued candle box made pretty
good safe We left our sacks i'm John G.
Fairs store, at Marysvile, and struck out
up the river. W. packed our blankets,
picks, pans and sdovels. a rocker, a little
grub, coffee pot and frying pan on mule,
and struck out for fortune of a hundred
thousand dollars each.
Just above Long bar, we located
claims on virgin ground and went to work
We worked just an hour by the watch.
The cleanup weighed four ounces Of
clean river gold That was an ounce
apiece, or at the rate of ten ounces each
for full days work. We held a consul
tation. We were out for a hundred thou-
sand dollars before the rainy season set in
Word had come down from DOwneyville
than men were making thousand dollars
each up there. Ten ounces, or Sl60 day.
wouldn't do. a little figuring told us that
We struck camp and left A party of Wis
consin boys took possession Of the ground
the next gay ana tneN cleaned up ShuU,NO
ard went back to the states. They were
smart. We. were continental fools
We had fortune in our hands and let
II 60" sighed the old man. But We were
boys and didn't know better. We We're
mining on Gold Hill in 1854 Gold Hill is
one and a half miles from Coloma, where
gold was first discovered in California.
Three young men just from Missouri came
up to our ground sluice.
can't you fellows tell us where we
can wash out a few doilars?' inquired one
of them.
=" Yes, with PLEASURE answered Shorty
Tyler Buy few inches of WHITEWATER
was dollar an inch-'and start in over
there pointing to a slight depression on
the side of a near hill. The boys did as
directed, and took out about 81 600 apiece
IN about three months. They returned to
Pike county while we continued working
our IS day diggings. What do you call
that, luck or foresight?
Leland Stanford kept a small grocery
store in Cold Springs El Dorado county,
a pound of bacon and beans from him. he
little thought he would become a multi
mllllonaire, governor of the state, and
United states senator He looked and
acted the plain. common sense business
man he was. Well he went to Sacra-
mento; got corner on something made a
lew thousand dollars, and along Vsth
George and Charley CrocKer and c. +.
huntington, obtained The Central Pacific
franchise through the favorable report OF
Coi. juan, VINO surveyed the route over
the Sierra Nevada on mule back and
came out of the job with millions for ne
rev thousands invested. But he showed
good deal OF mighty cute head work .
added the pessimistic old-timer. Luck
Wasnt against him i'm that deal Fortnnn
favored him and it helped mighty good
man.
Why, / know man who with his two
poys took out $4,000 through a dream of
ms little daughter. Il happened in 1852.
me rather and his boys had been mining
Tor some time with Indifferent Success
one morning his daughter said to him
Papa, have dreamed three nights in sue
ceSslon That there is a large amount of
| gold right around that big tree down
| the gulch. The old man set his sluices
| down there the next day. and washed out
Sie,OOc- l know this 70 be a fact. / mar
RED that girl, but she never had another
such dream.
"A big dance and blow out was given
at Logtown, near Mud Springs in 1855,
A young fellow and his girl took breat h
OF fresh air on big boulder near the pa-
vilion between dances. He popped the
question. She said yes In his ca eerness
to seal the compact with a kiss. he partly
slid from the rock, loOsening piece Of n
He picked ii up as a memento of the haDpv
glance at it the next day revealed free
| gold. He had found a wife and a fortune
at the same time. Was that luck or fore
sight?
Coming nearer home and down TO the
| present time we see instances where fck II
fortune has made several good and as
many mighty mean men rich and famous
in mining. But there are thousands Of
good, honest. Industrious, sober men who
| have courted the maynard goddess far
years and never got smile. How do Won
account for that2 Don't you think oiIife
as many men have gained wealth in min
ing, by a stroke Of good fortune or nck
or chance as by study and perseverance,?
! may be pessimistic, for / have worked
as hard and intelligenty, and as long n (
| most mining men for a pile. but / nave
| failed to find IT, If had my life to live
over again, | would do Just what ] have
| done, Tor am beginning to believe that 1t
is foreordained that some men will ALWAYS
| have money to throw at the birds, while
the great majority will shuttle through The
world with their toes and elbows stickfnes
out. They may not have much here. They
will get their divvy on the other side OF the
range"