The San Francisco call., 1897-04-10
THE FINDING
Of THE LOUISE
Excitement Over the New
Gold Strike in the
MADEIRA Foothills.
Mrs. Wagner Said to Have Day
After Day Picked $3.50 in
Nuggets From Quartz
Shaw Brothers Buy the Mine Cheaply
Because of a Bond-The Country
All Staked Cff.

T. II. Laurier and B. F. Peabody of the
widely talked-of Louise mine. the latest
gold strike in MADEIRA County, seven
miles northwest of Raymond, are at the
Russ. They are the first arrivals from the
new bonanza and give a remarkable story
of the discovery Of the mine. its richness
in gold and the general interest in the
district.
Mr.. Laurier is the stcpson OF Joseph
Wagner, the owner. or who was, TILL
Thursday, the owner, for on that day
Archibald and Millard Shaw, who own a
general store at Raymond. paid over SILL,
000 on bond taken three weeks before
The strike and thus became iowners of the
property. Both Laurier and Peabody
were working in the mine when the strike
was made. They say the mine is GER
tainly wonder and that Mr.. Wagner is
sorry be ever gave the bond.
But he got about $4,000 out OF 1t in
ALL" said Mr.. Peab body. "After he struck
it the gold was so easily got that about
$40, ,000 was realized before the property
had to be turned over. The rock is lit
orally peppered with gold, and after a
gold and nuggets that it ia like pumice
stone. 1 have seen Mrs. Wagner sit on
the dump day after day and pick out the
gold, securing $3.50 day just in that
way.
''The ore is worked with single arsstra
and by .panning. The whole force con-
sisted OF but four men. MI. Wagner is
farmer, and owns a lot of land around
there. l estimate that the m inc is worth
at least $4,000 without any development.
when We were cleaning up there was
some loose gold about the arastra, and
Mr.. Wagner gave it to his siepson and
| me- and we brought it up in this can and
bottle. 1 reckon there is $500 or S400 of it.
We will take it over to the Mint to-mor
row. The $4,000 that l ailude TO besides
this was taken out by two men in about
two weeks. the gold is free milling"
THE strike was made" said Mr..
Laurier, "by thirty-five foot shaft. The
| vein is about three feet and h af thick
| lying between well-defined walls. The
hanging wall is a very hard granite, or a
granite with an appearance of being
| mixed with some other rock. The foot
| wall is pretty near the same, except that
| 1t Is little lighter in color, and there is
| one place to tho left on the foot wall where
| there is kind of white slate.
The vein is composed OF red and white
| quartz, largely decom posed, and there is
| gold In both kinds. In fact, gold appears
all the way through with sin ular plenti-
| fulness. 1t is the richest mine l ever saw.
1t is really astonishing the amount of the
yellow metal there is In the quar-
| "Great excitement was caused by the
discovery. though 1t has subsided a little
now, but the country is all staked off for
six miles around. However, no monu-
ments are up and no WORK has been done.
| There is no other pay mine in the vicinity
| except one that is reported to be good ant
which has been closed down for O long
| time because of inability on the part OF
| a n n Gruh GuIn
is not lar away and several properties are
| working there.
| THE mine is about mile and a hall
from the Fresno River, on the road to
| Fresno Flats. 1t is situated neither on
the plains nor in the mountains, but in
the foothills. The hills there are rounded
and in summer dry and brown, but dotted
here and there with Iiveoaks, so that the
| country is quite attractive especially
when the grass IsNgreen.
! "The bond was originally given to 9
man named Mitchell, and he ira sferred
it to the Shaw brothers for $1,000 extra
| The whole of the purchase price was paid
over for the mine in MADEIRA yesterday,
Had it not been bonded before the strike
OF course We wouldn't have sold for such q
| sum.
Il understand tho new owners will
work the mine for the present with q
wh1m from the top and by a tunnel
There was 2O0-foot tunnel on the prop
erty years ago, which found good pros.
pect OF gold. but ii was allowed to cave in
The direct route to the mine is from here
to Barenda. thence by rail thirty miles tt
Raymond. and then by ordinary convey
ance seven miles TO the northeast. w.
will be here for several days"
This is the first definite news which has
reached here since the discovery was Sc,
forth by telegraph. In the dispatc hes
however, none OF the essential details
such as men informed about mines, a.
well as the general reader, want to know
| The fire Near PefaIuma.
4 pETAJIIM