The morning times., 1897-01-19
BELIEF THAT GOLD GROWS.
Veteran Miners Make Declarations
and Eudeayor to Prove Them.

They We're all weather r-beaten trail bla-
zers who had led the march of civilization
into the mountains, and as they toasted
their shins by the big stove in Lon Pick
etts Hotel bar at Mclrose their cOnversa-
ton wandered from the recent election and
the departed glories OF other days TO the
latest discoveries in science John Helehdn
had just finished reading from a mining
Journal about Prof Emnons' discovery
of the method OF transmitting silver into
gold.
Il think Emmons is u humbug,'' said
old Judge Longiy, California ArgOnaut.
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"
I've beard tell OF gold growing" re-
marked viii Robbins.
so have - said the judge, but you
have never seen it grow, have you? /
don't believe all the yarns these experts
spin, anyhow
Boys" spoke up John Treanor, per
haps / have got some queer old notions
slowed away under this diggin' hat of
mine, but for thirty years, man and boy,
I've been "a prospector, and l have been
doin' some thinking. And l tell you now
that l believe gold does grow. Twenty
years ago 1 struck the Locust and sank a
shaft. 1t was silver ore, and after disgin'
for while gave it up in disgust Then
l wandered over to the other side OF the
range and located the Banner, copper
mine now in the posse ssiUn Of the Ana
conda Company. l mOseyed around for
awhile, and eight years ago went back To
my old love, the Locust. Hang me III
could believe my eyes, boys, when found
the pret test Ledge OF gold ore right where
the silver ledge was. 1t was as pretty as
a picture, and l kept right on diggin'. and
have been diggin' in that hole ever since.
IL seemed to me that in the places where
the water struck il, IL grew richer / run
in three tunnels at the bottom, but found
the gold was not yet ripe, so / Just closed
up the tunnels and let them rest for d
few years"
blame me if don't think Hank Stebaas
does the same thing" said Jack Flice.
Hank lives up in Soap gulch and has a
claim he calls the BeIcher He discovered
it thirty years ago. when Wash Stapleton
was making bullets in his lead mine to kill
Indians with. 1t is a funny formation for
that part of the country. Ii is in a reef
of sand lying between the lime formation
that borders the Meirose valley and the
stratiried gneiSs formation that runs from
that point to the base OF Red Mountain.
Thirty years ago Hank discovered That
there were globules of silver In the sand
and located it, but there wasn't enough
mineral to pay and he 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 good thing of it now. He mines
it like the MeXicans 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 so down
to the sand pile and wiggle a crowbar
around for few minutes, when up comes
a 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 fortune if the gold
keeps on growing. Butte, Mont, Inter
Mountain.