Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1897-10-28
HIDDEN MINE.
Old Man White Has Disappeared and
Connnk Re EnunA-

Old Man White Has Disappeared ana
1t Caunot Be Found. VI
Through two or three decades sew
eral thousand miners in the Rocky
mountains have at different times been
set wild with reports of the actual
finding of the white Cement" mine,
says the New York Commercial Ad-
vertiser. white Cement" mine took
it's name from a Yankee named White
He was a white-haired man OF about
60 years when last seen. He was
young man in the California gold Hello
in 1850, and was friend Of such men
as Leland Stanford, George Hearst ana
Mark Hopkins. AS a gold seeker he
was known and talked about in every
mining camp on the coast, and stories
related to his phenomenal luck. He,
no doubt, made many fortunes, but was
always poor and tramped about with q
lean mule and half-breed Indian boy,
getting grubstake supplies where ne
could. Many people thought he was
slightly demented, but all looked up
to him, and he undoubtedly knew moro
about the gold region than any man
living.
One day in 1860 White came into
Horse Head gulch from the region IN
Northern New Mexico. He got some
thing to eat and then took out of his
pack number of pieces of what looked
like hard, white clay glittering with
specks of metal, but he said little ana
went oft to an assayer, German
named Eelyat, and an honest man. Be-
fore night it was known in camp that
Whites specimens showed 1,0oo
ounces to the ton. That meant about
$4,000 ton. In five minutes every
one went crazy. In the morning a
party, headed by brother Of the min
ing king of later date James G. Fair,
called on White, who was sleeping In
one of the "shacks." He was told IN
few words that he must pilot the men
to his find, he should have the pick OF
the claims and help to work it, but go
he must, and on his refusal was warned
that his life would not be worth dogs
bark if he "stood off" the camp. Then
he consented
The trail led down across the Rock
les. 1t was very arduous journey
even for the old miners, who seemed
never to know what physical fatigue
meant. 1t led along rocky trails, up
and down canons and across mountain
crests The first day was race and
two-thirds Of the men broke down. By
the end of the second day they were in
the heart of the mountains, in desert
where no human being had ever been
before. Half of the animals were lost
and the men were haggard with fatigue
and excitement. White was told that
if he played false he was dead man.,
but he still pointed east. On the even
ing of the third day White said the
miners were near to their journeys
end, and to-morrow-and then he
waved his long arms, and such a yell
went up from the frenzied men that
partly made the pine-clad mountains
shake. Every one lay down expecting
to arise millionaire, but in the morn
ing White was gone and left no trace.
Only about one-half of the party, after
incredible suffering, got back to life
and civilization.
Three years after White appeared in
Salt Lake City with his cement speci-
mems, as before incredibly rich, and
again disappeared, and from that time
to this has never been heard Of but
still men wear out their lives in seek
ing his "Lost Cement" mine.