The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-08-12
Cruzen's Claim Was Saved.


Somehow we got talking about the
st. Louis storm. BOothby had been a
locomotive engineer aud used to run
into IT. Louis over the Vandalia Line.
He remarked on the queer conduct Of
storms Of that kind, and said cyclone
or tornado would do anything, from
holding an auction to establishing a
new religion. He said he once had a
friend who went West TO file a claim
and get started to run for Congress.
This friend, one Cruzen, stopped in a
valley of the Wasatch range in Utah
and went to prospecting. He did a
good deal Of locating, and found what
he took TO be good thing. Indica-
tious were very promising. He started
TO ''do his work" which means the
performance Of the amount of work
specified for lOcatOrs by the govern
ment. The land office laws are TO the
effect that man must do 500 worth
of work on his claim within a year,
else he forfeits the claim, and the first
man who files another location notice
gets the property. Sometimes when a
prospector has fine piece of property
promising richness, other people will
come up and locate near, 50 as 10 be
handy dump into the good thing
if the year passes without the first claim
ant building house or making some
other improvement.
Cruzen knew his claim was first-class
but he foolishly went to chasing after
strange gods, thinking he would get
something better. The months passed
and somebody else prowling around in
the neighbOrhood of that original Cru
zen claim found much mineral, and a
camp sprung up. Things were BOOM
ing and the Cruzen claim was in the
midst Of the rush-withOut a spadeful
of work being done on it. Others were
anXiously watching that claim ready
to relocate il as soon "a the 365th day
should pass, and the real owner was
far away and knew nothing Of the
fortune in his grasp. But about four
days before the end of the year in some
way he learned of the situation and
started over the mountains pell NELL
He was running race against time for
fortune, and time seemed 10 have all
the best of it. Various delays held him
back, and it was on the afternoon of
the last day of grace that he came
down from the mountains and into the
valley, and some hours later he was on
his claim. He had two hours in which
to do 500 worth Of work to save the
claim.
What could he do? Certainly he
could not build house in that time
Then he thought of a well. That was
il. He would dig ten-foot well, and
that would let him out. But he had
no tools. He must borrow. He went
to the man on the next location and
asked for u spade. This fellow was
one of those who had been waiting to
adopt the Cruzen claim, and disap-
pointed at Cruzen's arrival, he refused
To lend or sell any tools. The man
went to the next claim, with like re-
suit. Nobody would sell or lend him
He returned to his claim in despera-
ton. He realized that it must be very
rich. There would be no chance to re-
locate it, though, and it must be lost
He wearily sat down beside a huge
boulder that jutted out of the ground,
feeling that mis- last hope was gone. 1t
had been hot day and he had travel
ed fast TO get there. He was oppressed
by the heat and thought he was going
to faint from Over-exertion. Suddenly
there was a crash of thunder and he
looked up To see the heavens lined
with green, horrible clouds. In an in
slant the wind rose to furious might
and the clouds spat fire as they rolled
and churned about. The trees bowed
and dead pines shot through
the air. Then out of the awfulness of
IA black distance came writhing,
snaky thing that hung from heaven
and earthward travelled with the fury
of the devil. Cruzen had never seen
like it. He clung TO the
shelter of his jutting rock. He saw
shanties leveled and great pines cut
like barber shaving off stubble
beard. An instant more and the
twisting tongue of vapor was in his
territory. Up to this time it had not
stopped, but just rs it crossed the line
of his claim ii halted and fora moment
stood still, writhing and turning at one
point to the accompaniment of persis-
tent thunder sound. Then, as though
its mind, if it had one, il
rushed across the corner, and, taking
up the shanty of the man who had first
refused to lend him tools, it lammed
that man right well. Then il was
gone.
Cruzen hastened over the spot where
the twisting column had stopped.
Then with cry ofsurprise he looked
at his watch. Yes, there were still five
minutes to his credit-and there,
before him, drilled by that
turning pillar of intensified
force, was n beautiful round and evenly
dug well, the finest ever known in that
country. And the Cruzen claim was
sa ved. Chicago Record
Legend Of the Magpie.