The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-08

The Limestone Bowlder range pro-
duced large nuggets. One day in 1861
an idle miner. while sauntering about
the outskirts of Columbia, sat down I'M
der the shade of an evergreen oak. He
was out of luck, broke" discouraged
and Disguised. He sat there under that
tree, and with his stick poked @and
rried at such stones as were lying
within reach, imbedded in the red
earth. A certain earth stained piece OF
rock seemed much heavier than the
rest; he could scarcely pry it over. He
arose and attempted to lift it. 1t was
very heavy. His heart began beating
fast Clearing one side of the earth,
he caught sight of the dull yellow color
of native gold. 1t was a $4,000 lump.
He was on the stage the next morning
bound for the east.
Nuggets and mixed gold and quartz
in pieces were often. lost by being
''forked'' out of sluice or ''tom," and
deposited with the pile of refuse rock
which remained after the earth was
washed away. Many such a piece re-
mains today in the long deserted
gulches.
From 1853 to 1859 the Point Mining
company worked a rich claim at Indian
bar, on the Tuolumne river. Finally
the point was declared worked out, and
the company broke up. Indian bar
declined and finally lost its dignity as
an electioneering precinct. A few men
remained, and they were neither indus
trious nor sober. They were content
to grub on the gleanings left by the
Point company, making perhaps dol
lar or two a day. That furnished them
in -four beef and-what was of more
consequence than all-whisky. More
gold in California has been dug for an
inferior article of c0rn whisky at 81 per
gallon that for any other article of food
or drink. These miners lived in rude
cabins with stone fireplaces and mud
plastered chimneys. They went clad
the year round in dungaree pants, :"
gray shirts and cowskin boots. The
foothill climate makes no great demand
on the clothing store, although men so
dressed live in sight of the eternal snow
on the higher Sierras. 5000 or 5000 feet
above them, and 100 miles away.
One day a pointer" an old sailor
from Boston, named Jones, who had
dug and drunk up three or four small
fortunes, concluded toprospect a streak
of gravel a few inches in thickness left
at the base of the Point company s
worked out bank, which was % or 30
feet in height and perhaps about as far
above the river. Jones dug painful,
washed it and found gold-ahout a
bit prospect. He dug a little deeper
into the mountains base, found more,
ard discovered that the hard, blue
granite ledge pitched downward. in
stead of rising and barring his pro-
gress. He found the gravel streak
growing wider and richer as he ad-
vanced. In a week Jones and his COM
rades knew they were once more rich
men. They had struck an old river
channel. From their coyote hole was
taken out as much as 40 ounces day
How did they improve the opportu-
nifty which fortune had once more
flung to them? They proceeded at once
to celebrate. buying whisky by the bar
rel and drinking it by the pint. In a
years time one had been drowned, an
other had died of delirium tremens, a
third had killed his wife and fed the
country. Eventually a shrewd. patient
Individual. who had been there from