The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-08-25
A FAMOUS OLD MINER.
EDWARD SCHlEFFELlN ONE OF TOMB
STONES DISCOVERIES.
True Stories of Most Typical Western
ProspectIr-How the schieffeiin Broth
ers and Dick Grid Struck 1t Rich In
Tombstone Ciulch.


been full Of stories about Edward |
Schieffelin, one of the discoveries of |
the Tombstone mines, who was found |
dead in cabin in eastern Oregon. His |
remains, according to his wish, now |
rest upon the top of granite peak two |
miles west of Tombstone, A. T. He de-
sired, he said, ''to be buried in the garb
of a prospector, my old pick and can
teen with me, and monument such as
prospectors build when locating min
ing claim built over my grave and no
other monument or slab erected.
1t seems to be generally felt through
ont the Pacific coast that this plain,
| ignorant, kind hearted old pioneer and
prospector, who had travelled many
| thousands of miles in search of new
| mines, has thus unconsciously made his
mark upon our romance and history.
That lonely granite cairn i'll the desert,
rising upon the extreme point of tree
less promontory, will long be pointed
out as the grave of one of the most IA
nous of American prospectors.
Ed Schieffeln's one great strike
yielded him fully third of 81, 900, 900.
At various times in his adventurous
career he plodded painstakingly over
the widest portions of the Rocky noun
tains and Serras, he visited Alaska,
Mexico, South America and South
Africa, but never again found such a
mine When he died, his fortune, at
one time said to be over $500, 900, had
| lnoraoca1 hx,r Of had in
vestments and costly expeditions.
The story of the finding of Tomb
stone, that briefly famous Arizonian
mining city, has been told in many
different ways, until it is fast becom-
} ing one of the most attractive of Pacific
} coast myths The simple facts are that
, late in the seventies the two Schieffelin
brothers and Dick Grid were prospect
ing, sometimes together, sometimes
separately, in various districts of Arr
iona and New Mexico. 1t was time
| of terrible Indian outbreaks, and the
Apaches were OH the warpath, killing
lonely miners and prospectors, attack
ing the stage coaches and running off
I cattle. Ed Schieffelin finally wandered
A into the neighborhood of disputed
! claim, the Bronco, where eight men
! had been shot i'll various attempts to de-
4 eide its ownership, and was hired at 81
day to sit Oh hilltop and look out
for Indians. One day, while hunting
. up stray horse, the hitherto unsuccess-
a full prospector stumbled into what was
a afterward called Tombstone Gulch and
q found some copper stained rock on what
o became the Tough Nut mine. This he
g sent to Grid for an assay, and soon after
@ sent ore from the Lucky Cuss. Wher
a development was begun, a thin vein IL
v granite widened, and promised immens'
r riches. The claims were sold for very
4 large sums and when the Apaches wer'
+ driven out capitalists poured money III
;. TO the district. But the mines did no
e Justify expectations. Tombstone wa
q very far from being a second Comstock
!, The unlucky Broncho never paid a dol
i. lar. The Schiefelin and Grid claim
l. Welded for time but soon ran out
d and the camp sank into decay.
o. The first time met Schieffelin, tina
/. most typical of western prospectors
t. was about six years ago. After hearing
&c some of his picturesque prospecto
warns l told him about the variou
treasure expeditions to Coos island an
the legends which had caused these ex
Nc elements. He seized upon the glitter
~ ing tale Of diamond hilted swords, bag
/, of doubloons and bars of gold with tn
il faith of child and at once offered
ra fit out schooner for the islands and
n. pay my expenses as well as give me
third of the treasure if would go alon
=. TO repeat the legend as often as desired
ne He had prospected for almost every
or thing, he said, except pirate treasures
"A and he wanted those diamond hllte
swords to "put in his parlor.
-, | did not know at that time the stor
y about his parlor Having bought
~ 81. 900 house in the town OF Alameda
ri he kept several tons of quartz in Oh
90 corner, on top of which his old pros
n. pecting tools, burro's saddle aud cam
= outfit reposed when not in use. nevt
~ heard what his wife thought OF tn
- nnioue furniture, but there is no doui
~ that the diamond hilted swords woul
have rested peacefully on the quar-
~, nile. and it was with sincere regre
o. that l acknowledged to him my entil
be lack of faith in the picturesque SPANS
Al legend of Coos island
Schieffelin's Alaska experiences ha'
long deserved chronicler. He fittt
out an expedition years ago and pro
pected over vast areas of that regio
His little steamboat assembled the bros
Yukon, and the party wintered in q
interior. One man, since dead, Charl
Farciot, remained behind when u
w. steamer returned to prospect furthe
When he desired to return, he built o.
of the most remarkable little steam
, pines ever seen on the coast. lt W
made from few pieces OF pipe al
some old cans picked up about the q
serted Schieffelin camp, and his on
tools were file and pocket knii
~ with a stone for hammer lie put u
rude little engine in the stern OF sm'
rowboat left behind for his use a
steamed 1900 miles without an ac'
dent. The outfit was afterward on exl
hilton i'm San Francisco aud excited I