The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-01-16

The Randsburg Extension Will
Not Be Built Now by the
Southern Pacific.
A Ledge of Rich Ore Uncovered by
Two Railroad Officials While
Digging for Fun.

G. ". Luce, assistant general freight
agent of the Southern Pacific Railroad
Company, found fortune down at Rands-
burg the other day. He iabbed the point
of a pick:into a ledge rich with gold. The
only element of sadness about the whole
matter among Mr.. Luce friends is that the
ledge and the fortune belong to others.
Mr.. Luce and A. D. Shepard, assistant
freight and passenger agent OF the South
ern Pacific, with headquarters at Los An
geles, made a trip into Randsburg and the
mining section of that vicinity to make an
investigation into the volume of freight
and passenger business that could be done
bv the proposed extension Of the railroad
TO Randsburg.
In connection with the gold story it also
develops that the extension 10 Randsburg
will not be built Immediately. The result
of the trip of H. e. Huntington and other
officials to the mining section is under
stood to have been that while they re-
ceived very favorable impression as to
the mineral resources and possibilities Of
the section they prefer TO wait till greater
age and permanency has settled IN the re-
gion before building a railroad there. And
that means that the extension for the
present will not be proceeded with. 1t IS
also thought that the defeat of the fund
ing bill has put a damper in general on
Southern Pacific construction work.
But to return to the story of the Luce
ledge. Two prominent m1ne-owners,
Messrs. Langdon and Hanson, own a
claim, which adjoins the Kinyon claim
on the south. Considerable work had
bsen done on it in the way of hunting for
a ledge which was supposed 10 be hidden
somewhere beneath the surface, but with
out success.
Messrs. Langdon and Hanson had de-
cided to abandon the claim, and, in fact,
had already carried away some OF the tools
and supplies.
Messrs. Luce and Shepard were up that
way one day with one of the owners of
the claim. Mr.. Luce saw a hole in the
ground and few rusty picks and shovels
lying around. Ordinarily a hole IN the
ground possesses no attractions for any,
body, but in some mysterious and unac-
countable manner the assistant general
freight agent from San Francisco was
seized with an irresistible desire to dig.
He threw off his coat, seized a long-dis-
used pick, jumped down into the hole and
went to work with an energy that was q
fine example for any secton-han be-
tween Portland and Galveston.
Here, Shepard" said Luce, "get hold
of a shovel and scoop 'er out"
boon ODepdIu anu LuCt were DOtH ldrQ
at work tearing up the earth and hurting
il aside to the four winds. 1t is not often
any Southern Pacific official gets entirely
in q hole outside of Washington, D. c.,
but in this instance these two were in 1t
with both feet.
They had been at work about fifteen
minutes when chug! went the Lucenian
pick into something awful hard.
i've struck something" shouted Luce
as certain as the Valley road is no toy
railroad" He resumed work with re-
doubled vigor.
Shepard threw out thu earth in all direc-
tons. a rat terrier working at both ends
wasn't in it with him.
In few more minutes fine ledge one
foot in diameter was uncovered. The ore
has been assayed and it runs $84 "a to the
ten in gold. 1t was not till they heard of
the result of the assay that Messrs. Luce
and Shepard began to perspire. 1t was
the beginning Ct the vein that they struck,
and as rule the ledge gets richer further
in.
1t was lucky strike. II is said Lang
don and Hanson are going to give Luce
and Shepard big, interest in the claim,
but this has not been orroborated.
II picked up that pick and began to dig
just for fun" said Mr.. Luce yesterday
afternoon when asked about the story. 81
had no idea OF striking anything. l was
astonished at the result and SO were the
owners of the NINE"