The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-05
PERIL IN NINE CRAZE
Horrible Fate of Gold Hunters In
Arizona Desert.
MANY DIE OF THIRST
HISTORY OF THE TERRITORY Is
FULL OF TRAGEDY.
]
Men Go Insane With Water Near
at Hand and Perish In
Terrible Agony.
MANY DIE OF THIRST
fChIcago Inter ocean.O

Chicago Inter OCEAN,
Al a time when LeadviIle was in its
infancy, or possibly before It was
known, prospectors were numerous
among the iron-capped hills that over
looked the great Red river of the west.
Gold indications were plentiful, and the
Indians and the old-time Mexican set !
tiers had enough Of the tales of rich
lodes and dry placers to disarrange The
brain Of any ordinary prospector
Among other pllantonls sought after
by the Americans at that time was the
Lost" or Padre" mine. This great
lode was supposed to be located some
where within thirty miles of Yuma, on
the eastern bank Of the Colorado river.
In 1863 four men from California 10
Gated mines on the Colorado near the
great Castle Dome peak. They uncov-
cred a vast ridge OF glittering ore that
shOne and sparkled in the sunlight like
diamonds The more they explored this
ridge the richer it became, to all APP
pearances. The ore was in cubes, and
appeared TO be TO, their inexperienced
eyes solid silver. They secured a few
sacks OF the ore-as much as they could
load or their burTos-and, having care
fully covered up their find, departed
for Yuma. On their way down from
the Dome" three OF them were killed
by Apaches, and the fourth reached
Yuma barely alive, having suffered I
agonies from thirst on his perilous jour
ney. His store of ore samples was gone,
-seXcept a few Jumps which he had man
aged to save from the sacks when the
Indians killed his companions. and
which he had placed in his pockets. On
his arrival at Yuma he displayed these
nuggets and the town went wild. In
the meanwhile David Neahr of Yuma,
a long-headed merchant, sent one or
two of these cubes to IN Francisco for
ASSAY. The ASSAYS were finally re-
turned from the Selby smelling works
of San Francisco with the verdict.
pure lead" This was a great lesson
for the prospectors OF the Yuma coun-
" district, and one that they never for
got, except in the matter OF the Lost
mine. which now and then finds some
fatuous miner simple enough to spend
time and money in looking for it even
to this day.
MINERS PERISH OF THIRST.
In 1879. when the great Castle Dome
mines were turning out their l,S0O tons
of lead ore monthly. four men made
camp within two miles of the mines,
and established themselves there for
the summer with a view of thoroughly
prospecting the adjacent district for
silver ore. The makeup of this little
camp was diversified. One was an
American. one q German, one SWede
and the other a Frenchman. 1t was
their custom to come every second
day to the Castle Dome mines for water
and mail IN the course of time they
became in a way familiar feature in
the big mining camp, and therefore 1t
followed that one day some one noted
the fact that none of this party had put
in an appearance for over a week and
it created sufficient notice to induce one
Of the mining superintendents to send
over to their camp to find out what the
trouble was. They found the camp de-
serted. The frying-pan and coffee-9ot
were near the inpromptu fireplace and
everything about the little camp indi-
Gated that the men had left it after
their breakfast and had not returned.
After the inspecting party had careful
" examined the camp of these four
men. it was decided that they We're
Test" That is a sinister and fatal
word in Arizona. To be lost means
ordinarily, death by thirst The in
speeding party FASTENED back to the
Castle Dome mining camp and gather
ed together some four or FIVE Indian
guides to take up the trail of these
people and save them if possible. Al
ter a long hunt their bodies We're found
In the hills where they had fallen vic
tins 10 thirst
PROSECUTORS HORRIBLE FATE
The eastern bank of the great Red
river Of the west teens with instances
OF this sort, where men leaving their
camps even for q few hundred YARDS,
became bewildered. first by the ever
lasting sameuess OF thu surroundings,
then with half-crazed eagerness mount
Ing the highest peak in sight, only 10
see others still higher, and then re-
calling the many dismal stories thar
had been retailed to them of the horrld
death that awaited the lost in that
desolation, made straight for the river
As they went. crossing rocky ridges
and Gee. raVines. their thirst became
an insupportable agony from dwelling
on that one subject, and even if the
distance was short they soon lost their
mental Doise. and tearing their clothes
from their backs rushed hither and
thither until they sank down exhaust
ed, a prey TO the fercest heat that
glows anywhere on The American con-
tinent.
A remarkable instance Of this kind
occurred on the Colorado in 1888. \
Mexican. born and bred in that sec
<tion. a man of education, and holding
y the position of justice of the peace for
~ little township called the clip,
some nifty miles from Yuma. started
TO walk one day from the Clip landing
to EhrenbuTg, u distance Of thirty
miles AS a positive fact the road he
was 10 traverse was at no place more
than 100 Yards from the river. but for
a great part OF the way that 100 yards
was a dense growth of willows, eX-
tremeiy difficult TO penetrate. They
found this m32 utterly naked. bearing
all the signs of death by thirst and
fright. within few yards OF the river,
and a mile of the Ehrenburg post
Office.
Old residents of The territory describe
this dreadful death as resulting from
a species of rabies, an utter abandon
nent of hope, the presence Of the
frightful spectcr of thirst bec,Ioning on
its victim With a relentless hand to his
destruction That men who were lost
have actually died within ten hours
after leaving camp and water, there
is abundant proof
FATE OF A YOUNG COLLEGIAN.
In 1882 a party OF some ten men
called, at the river store of the Castle
Dome Mining company to purchase
supplies for an extended prospecting
trip they contemplated making in the
mountain ranges that lie between the
Colorado river and the great deserts
of Central Arizona. one of the party
was a young man from Los Angeles,
fresh from college. He was not aD-
parentIy as much interested in finding
gold or silver as he was in killing deer,
and the armament he carried with him
was a formidable one. Among the pur-
chases that he made individually at
the store named was a pair of long
boots. with flaming red square tops,
Of a sort often seen in country stores.
The party left The district on their
journey. and were not heard of again
for nearly six months. At the eXpira-
ton Of that time they returned, but