The Worthington advance., 1897-01-07
nj -. :. >. y ]
DOES GOLD xGROW7
Some Veteran Miners Who Pretend to b
.~..s... A. -ueve That It. Does. ...,. .-..

ri.
Some Veteran Miners Who Pretend to Be-
.e.-,, lieve> That. It Does.
They were all >weatherbeaten trail
blazers who had led the march. of
civilization into the mountains, and as
they toasted their shins by the stove
in Lon Picletts hotel bar at Melrose
their conversation wandered from the
recent election and the departed glories
of other days to the latest discoveries
in science. John Helehan had just
finished reading from a mining journal
about Prof. Emmens' discovery of the
method of transmitting silver into gold.
II think Emmens is q humbug," said
old Judge Lonely, California argo-
naut. ''The old alchemists, you know
tried that, but they might as well have
tried to make an apple seed. Nature
holds the germ, and all the scientists
who initiate her can do is to quicken its
growth
''Ive heard tell of gold growing"
remarked Will Robbins.
$50 have T." said the judge, 'but you
have never: seen it grow, have you? I
don't believe all the yarns these experts
spin, anyhow
"Boys," spoke up John Trcanor,
perhaps I have got some queer old no.
tions slowed away under this diggin'
hat of mine, but for 80 years, man and
boy, I've been prospector, and I've
been doin' some thinking. And I tell
you now that believe that gold does
grow. Twenty years ago struck the
Locust and sank shaft. It was silver
ore, and after diggin' for awhile gave
it up in disgust. Then wandered over
to the other side of the range and
located the Banner, copper mine now
in the possession of the Anaconda COM
pany. I noseyed around for awhile,
and eight years ago went back to my
old love, the Locust. Hang me if could
believe my eyes, boys, when found the
nrettiest ledge of gold ore right where
the silver ledge was. 1t was as pretty
as picture, and kept right on diggin',
and have been diggin' in that hole ever
since. It seemed to me that, in the
places where the water struck it, it
grew richer. run in three tunnels at
the bottom, but found the gold was not
yet ripe, so closed up the tunnels and
let them rest for few years."
"Blame me if I don't think Hank
Stebbins does the same thing" said
Jack Flice. "Hank lives up in Soap
Gulch, and has claim he calls the
Belcher. He discovered it 80 years ago,
when Walsh Stapleton was making
bullets in his lead mine to kill Indians
with. It is in a funny formation for
that part of the country. It is in a. reef
of sand lying between the lime fo1ma,
tion that borders on the Melrose valley
and the stratified gneiss formation that
runs from that point to the base of Red
mountain. Thirty years ago Hank dis.
covered that there were glodules of sill.
yer in the sand and located it, but there
wasn't enough mineral to pay and be
abandoned it. Ten years ago he went
back to the old mine and began turning
over the sand. He began to find chunks
of gold instead of silver. He has a
good thing of it now. He mines it like
theMexicans used to mine it years ago
He cuts stairs in the sand and takes the
rock up in candle box and sorts it
over. Now all he has got to do when he
wants to make stake is to go down to
the sand pile and wiggle crowbar
around for few minutes, when up
comes piece of shining gold. Several
capitalists have attempted to get hold
of the mine, and one OF Heinze's agents
made him a good offer for it, but Hank
won't sell, for he is sure he has a
fortune if the gold keeps on growing y
Butte (Mont.) Inter Mountain.