The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-16
RICH AND DIDN'T KNOW 1T.
The Way 'Nigger Dick Sold a
Sailed Mine That Turned Out to
Be Bonanza.
GEORGE F. CAMS.

| White Pine county, Nevada-Not
| long ago attention was attracted to the
| district by reports that rich gold strikes
! had been made there. But one of the
/ old mines, that excited much comment
when it paid to mine silver ores in hat
region, is the Black Metal, in Saw Mill
canyon, not far from Cherry. Its dis
! covery was the direct consequence of
! an attempt to fleece an unsophisti,ated
tender of hocks.
/ He had worked hard for a number Of
! years and saved his money. This he
entrusted to a stOrekeeper in Cherry
! Creek who subsequently failed in bust
ness. When the herder came into camp
to get some of his earnings he learned
that his cash, together with that of
many others, had been appropriated to
pay debts of the luckless merchant or
help support him. After a fellow has
lived like an Indian for couple Of
years and looked forward to the time
when he might gain a little enjoyment
through the money that was intended
to partially recompense him for such
a life, it is pretty tough to learn that
somebody else has, in the meantime.
had the benefit of his cash and Cnlv
experience is left to him. That was the
way the flerder looked at it. He had
few hundred dollars in his pocket, af
ter he had settled with his employer,
and he proceeded to temporarily dull
or efface his memory and recollections
in drink He was well on the read
when a conversation started in bar
ROOM The herder swore he would never
more work for wages. Somebody want
ed to know how he intended to get
along in life as his own master. 20.
I'll go to mining" was the reply.
ha
cred by men of his class, but through
sheer accident have they almost in
Variably been found. One of the loung-
ers in the saloon when the new declar-
alton of independence was announced
by the tipsy herder was ubiquitous
character known as Niger Dick He
was as ornery a black as ever existed.
On all occasions he persisted in taking
part in conversations when neither his
intelligence nor standing in the COM
nunity would warrant familiarity. On
this occasion he came to the front. He
said he had a bonanza up in Saw Mill
canyon which he offered to sell.
To keep up the interest miner dis
played a rich pocket specimen and Dick
stuck to it that it came out of bis claim.
The darkey wanted to sell on the spot
and just about sized UP the herder's
pile. when he fixed a valuation on the
claim The new candidate suggested
that the trade had better go over till
morning. That was precisely what Dick
was afraid to do. For the fun of the
thing. a Jolly German became an ally
Of Dick and tried to help along a trade.
Finally the sheep herder's money was
given into the Germans keeping as
trustee. 1t was considered too good
Joke to keep it and it leaked out before
the LIQUOR was quite out of the drunken
mining speculator- He sobered up
enough to know, or, at any rate, to
believe that he had been swindled
and even threatened to do the same
by the German. Instead of making a
killing the fellow went back to herd
ing again. Dick didn't get his money,
but was driven out of town for chew
ing a mans hand in an alteration
growing out of the transaction.
But that lean quartz outcrop covered
a sure-enough mine. So much was
heard about the claim that some
miners who happened to be out in the
vicinity. out of curiosity struck a pick
in the shallow hole that Dick started.
Something caused them to go deeper,
and when down few feet they turned
up rich mineral. In short, a mine was
developed from which shipments of
ore were made to Salt Lake City that
netted a handsome sum per ton. The
ore was sprinkled with black specks
that looked like charcoal and was a
high grade of silver At one time the
property was bonded for 100000 and a
trade would have been made in '93, at
close to those figures, had it not been
for the slump in the price of silver.
Speaking of accidental finds of rich
it is a matter OF notoriety that
some of the most striking instances
have been in connection with sailed
mining claims. Many cases might be !
enumerated where INSCRIPTIONS hang |
ers-on in a new camp came out second !
best when. trying to thimble-rig a ten
derfoOt. In one of Utah's noted dis |
tricts. Tintic, a mine that now ranks
high as a producer was sailed soon
after the first excitement there. and
in the early days of Eureka camp. |