The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-28


ment along the Pacific coast. The
Santa Clara district, to which the
crowds rushed, was about 120 miles
south of San Diego, and 40 west of
Resanaga. During March, 1889, an av-
erage of coo men reached the mines
each day. The town of Ensanada was
practically deserted by males. One of
the first workers washed out $4,000
worth of gold in four hours near the
Rancho Real del Castillo. The pan de-
posit was mainly Of black sand, from
which the gold was easily extra Gated
by the aid of amalgamated copper
| plate. A Mexican digger took out $500
| in two days in the space of eight feet
square. The price of provisions during
March at the diggings was tremendous
! ly high. Five dollars was paid for a
| 50-pound sack of flour, and $3.50 for a
10-pound sack of oatmeal Drinks were
| two bits (25 cents) each.
CRIPPLE CREEK.
1t was in this same year, during the
! summer of 1889, that N. c. Creed who
killed himself last week, discovered his
famous Holy Moses" mine in Colora-
do, and other rich deposits, which at
tracted thousands to the widest re-
gions about the Willow creek where
the town of Creede was subsequently
| built. Meanwhile prospecting had been
been going on in the Cripple Creek
| district Of Colorado, and 1t was to this
vicinity that the next great rush of
argonauts was destined to be directed.
Bob" Womack, a cowboy, was the
first to find ore in Poverty gulch He
took it to Colorado Springs late in 1890,
and the float was found to yield $240
to the ton. Edward de la Vergne, T..
F. Frisbie and DR.. J. P. Grannis then
put up the Broken Box ranch on Grip
pie creek, locating a claim under the
name of Eldorado. This was the first
claim registered in the district. Next
M. c. Lackford located the Blue Bell
in Squaw gulch, and Bob" Work, a
Denver barber, located the Rose Maud
which showed on one Of the earliest
assays no less than $4,000 per ton.
In July, 1891, the Buena Vista and
the Gold King mines were located.
When the Buena Vista was sold to
Count Pourtalis and T. G. Parish, of
Colorado Springs, the attention of the
entire country was called to the Grip
pie Creek gold fields, and the rush be-
gan. Over the wind swept Rocky
the snow in the gulches the determined
body Of treasurer seekers poured upon
the district, and claims were staked in
all directions. From Mineral Hill to
the creek bed the mountain sides were
covered with claims, as was all the
ground on both sides of the lines, re-
gardless of the character of the rock
Many hardships were endured at Grip
| n orI,y Df &c
popularity, and to such as were sue
cessful the life was a rough and dis
tasteful one at best,
SCOTT STRATTON.
One of the wealthiest men at Cripple
Creek at the end of 1898 was Winfield
S. Stratton who was accounted to be
worth from SIS, 900, 900 to $25, ,0O0, 900. He
had tried his luck in all the camps in
the state of Colorado, and was one of
the first to enter the Cripple Creek
| district. AT that time he had no money
at all. After prospecting around, he
had made up his mind to pack UP his
traps and go back to his old work as
a carpenter when he discovered the
yellow metal on piece of float picked
up on ground owned by "Dick" Hous-
ton, the Indian scout. and the Father
of Cripple Creek" 1t was the morn
| ing of July 4, and Stratton called the
| claim he located the Independence He
had at that time no great hopes of the
claim, but a few weeks later the as
I sayers told him that the rock he had
sent him from the location ran three
or four hundred dollars to the ton,
1t is reported that one day a man
went to Stratton and said: "Will you
take $10,000,000 for your mine?" Old
Man Stratton, as he was always called,
replied: DO you happen to have a
million in your pocket?"
The other said: mo, but I can get
it," Then Stratton added: "Well, If
you would give me 10 times 10 millions
and put million in gold down to bind
the bargain, l wouldn't SELL If l had
the money l wouldn't know what to do
| with it. AS long as it is down in the
mine no one can take it away from
me, and 1 can take it out as fast as I
please"
On Battle mountain, just above "the
independence" was the second largest
prize won by the early explorers of
Cripple Creek. This great gold mine
is called the Portland. Early residents
tell the story Of its beginning as fol-
lows: Jimmie Doyle had bit of a
patch on top O. the mountain that
might have been big enough for a gar
den, and then again it might not. 1t
was altogether about a sixth of an
acre. But it had vien. Close by
Jimmie Burns-it is James f. Burns
now-f1d another bit of a patch. They
were both Irish and both from Port
land, Me-, and so they put their claims
together, and called their mine in hon
or of their native town. Both We're
tenderfeet, and didn't know Just what
to do with their property, SO one day
John Harnan came along and said
Boys, whatll you give me If I'll find
you pay rock?' Doyle and Burns
agreed to give Harnan a third if he
found the pay rock. He found it that
afternoon, and a year ago Harnan's
third Of the mine was $1,000, 900 in the
market"
| OTHER FINDS
The Portland has produced several
millions Of dollars worth of gold
Stories such as these drove Colorado
wild in the early days of Cripple Creek
mining, and from $4,000 TO $4,000 people
fiocked to the fields. None of these
places which have been the objective
points of gold fever rushes, however
seem to have been so inaccessible as the
new gold fields OF northeastern British
Columbia, and whatever hardships were
suffered by the '49ers of California OF
the bush diggers Of Australia may be
multiplied a thousand fold for the ex-
cited hordes who are fiocking to the
Klondike.
Among the latest stories told by the
returned miners from the Yukon Is that