The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-11
CHUNKS OF SHINING GOLD.
SOME BIG NUGGETS WHICH HAVE
DEEM FOUND IN CALIFORNIA.

/
Daniel Hill Dug Up Two Fortunes
! and Sauandered Both For Drink,
Romance of nm Exhibit Seen ut the
Worlds Fair Here.
From the St. Louis Globe-DemocTat.
Pomona, Cal, March 9.-The wonderful
revival in gold mining throughout the
world has caused much discussion as to
the largest gold nuggets that have been
| picked up and the curious circumstances
connected with the discovery of some of
the richest deposits of the precious metal
in California. The subject Is full of ro-
mantle interest. and the large fortunes
that have been stumbled upon In a day
by some gold miners form a perennial
source of discussion among all classes of
| people in the west. The recent meeting
of the Miners Association in San Fran
cisco has been the means of recalling
large number Of facts connected with the
| finding in California of chunks of gold
that have brought their discoveries good
sized fortunes
| Col. Daniel Bailey of Pomona Valley,
who is probably the most experienced
prospector and gold miner in California
to-day has been constantly engaged in
seeking and locating gold mines since 1855,
and he says that the only man he ever
knew of who found two very valuable
gold nuggets was Daniel Hill, who died
a miserable pauper in the Los Angeles
county alms-house several years ago. In
the summer of 1866 Hill was working gold
in the placer diggings at the Ruby Belle
mine. in Plumas county, away UP under
the shadow of Mount Shasta, when he
| came across, buried in the gravel, chunk
| of gold and red-staned, water-marked
| quartz as large as a horses hoof. He
started off the very next day for Sacra-
mento. where he sold the find at the D.
! O. Mills Bank for $4,000. In less than
! year Hill had spent every dollar of this
| sum. He squandered over 5000 In one
! week i'll San Francisco.
| When his money was gone he went back
| to work again, and by hard work made
| an average of few dollars day for
| the next four or five years. But one day
| in the fall of 1871, while he and compan-
| ions were camping in lonely canyon in
! the region of Dutch Flats, Nevada county,
| he stumbled upon another very large mug
! get Hill was looking over a small dis
| carded placer mine and was running the
coarse gravel through his hands, While
| his practced eye searched for evidence
of yellow metal. He stopped down to wash
his hands in the brook, when lying there
! in the running water was nugget of
! gold and white quartz similar In size and
| shane to a baby's head. How the chunk
! ever got there, and especially how hun
| dreds of hungry gold-seekers had tramped
! over that locality for ten years previous
! and never got the nugget. is one OF the
! faVorite topics of speculation among the
| old-time miners in the golden state. Hill
! sold his find for $4,000, and again ADAM
! doned himself to a long career OF de-
/ hatchery and recklessness. His second
! fortunate find was spent as soon as was
! his first, and he became drunkard. lie
| never found another nugget, either large
| or small although he searched for years
The largest nugget ever found in this
| state was that known as the oliver Mar
| tin chunk. 1t weighed ISL pounds
ounces. The precious ore was mixed with
| white quartz, and 1t was sold after nav
| ing been converted into bullion for w.
| 20 Hundreds of pictures have been made
! of the golden mass, and all the schoolboys
| in California are expected to know the
| weight size and value of the famous mug
! get There are bronze fac-similes of the
| chunk in many mineral collections in mu-
! seums in Europe and America. The mug
! get was found near Camp Corona, in
! I'uolumne county, In Central California.
! The date of the finding was Nov. Is, 1854.
! Martin, a poor miner, who had not even
! the proverbial dollar to his name, and
! companion named John Flower, were
! tramping on their way up country to new
! diggings. They camped one night in a
| mountain canyon, when a sudden and
| terrific rain storm came up in the dark
! ness The water in the canyon stream
suddenly rose. The miners attempted to
climb the hill but the flood overlook them
| and both were carried down stream.
| I'll 4 Int though
| severely injured, escaped. While trying to
| bury his companions body by the roots
| of an upturned tree, Martin discovered
| the rich nugget that bears his name. He
was too weak to move 1t. He attempted
| to reach some neighboring miners, but
| tainted from exhaustion, and was found
on the trail by them. When able to walk
| some weeks later, Martin took them to
J the spot and the nugget was removed.
| Martin made the nugget the basis of
| large fortune that he accumulated in the
next two decades.
In August, 1869. w. A. Parish A. Wood,
| J. Wnstead, f. N. l.. CleverinS and
Harry Warner were partners in the Mon
umental claim, near Sierra Buttes. in
Sierra county. In the last week OF that
month they discovered a gold nugget,
which weighed 1888 ounces troy. 1t was
sold to r. b. Woodward of San Fran
| cisco, who paid for 1t S1S,345 for exhibit
I
about $16,500 realized from it.
The biggest nugget of gold ever found
| in Shasta county was discovered in the
spring of 1870. One day three Frenchmen,
! two of whom were named Oliver Long
! champ and Fred Rochon, drove into the
| old town of Shasta in search of a spot
to mine. They happened to have some
business with A. Coleman, a dealer IN
! hardware and notions The three asked
| him where was good place to mine. He
| carelessly pointed In a northerly direction
| and said: GO over to Spring creek"
| They took his advice, located a claim on
| the creek, some eight miles north of Red
| ding, and a few days later one of the
| Frenchmen picked up nugget Of gold
| valued at 5000 Ten years later a miner
| named Dent Young found a $3.50 nugget
| on Flat creek, near where the Frenchmen
| found their famous chunk
Plumas. though one of the richest min
| ing counties in California, has yielded
| few valuable nuggets. The largest was
| found by a Chinaman near the mouth OF
Nelson creek, and was worth $780, A