The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-17
R0MANCEs MINEHs TELL.
Onions That Rouse the Suporstrioas or Mincrs
told Pointed Out by a Candle IIan,c.

Los ANGELES, Cal, Fob. 12.-Tho signs and
omcns that have led to tho finding Of rich
bodies Of gold and silver ores constituted one
topic discussed by miners at the recent golden
jubilee in San Francisco. Col. Edward w.
Potter of Stanislaus county, Cal, told the fol-
lowing story of how Nat C. Creole, who dlscov.
cred the marvellous silver mines at Creole. Col,
came to find the ore which led to his becoming
several times a millionaire in two years.
Il knew Creole for fifteen years." said Col.
Potter. He was a perfect prospoctor- pa
tient, hopeful. and ~restlcs, and eager when he
got on tire scent Of q piece of pay float rock.
He was a very ignorant man, as the recent revc-
lntions as to his business and family affairs in
the Los Angeles courts have shown. For sew.
enough gold or silver 10 buy a cheap suit OF
taiinsf from ny Las s0F Vegas S'S =. Ne NJ. f TO Eeu M2ps.
climbed through oaaons and scaled rocky walls.
IL / would endure It all, even il / knew what
a prize awaited me. In the spring OF. 1890
the San Juan district Xiot OF prospectors Who
were sitting about an adobe saloon when Creede
49,. Why. don't you know, man, said they,
that hundeds Of fellows have tried for ore in
. te sot ai 4 6SlIar. There amt: enough metal there
lot But Bn Gr.ed so was stubborn; and he'd never
Colorado than any one else. He tried to get o
for the summer with about $40 Worth Of Sca N.
pork. and such like. but the saloon keeper was
too cute to put his money into such a Wild
goose chase among the San Juan Mountains.
down into tho Cochiti gold district. near Santa
was on his way southwark to Santa Ft that he
would be along In Q few weeks. That very
known as. MAMMOTH Mountain. He often told
OF the circumstances. He was looking up the
Abandoned his tedious. lonely search Tor sp pay
rock in that locality. He saw n chunk Of dark
rock the size of a mans head, lying about ten
ieet above him among a mass of drift stones.
silver ore. lie tied his 6urro. hid his gun, and
parent rock from; which it had been broken.
1T was q very warm day. and the sun beat
spired, climbed, and searched all day long.
never stopping for a bite at noon. AT sunset
when he looked up. to see how much further he
would . have VI to climb to the top; and there.
ing siiicate. it was the Parent Of the De i ReSief he
l y aSse iron hsa Sssn fo 1i1s a b hoy; ;h5 IL sr fns% NJ
week he searched over and over the Mammoth
Md fSana n sysp I letting W 3 sS1l b sn how That ,oest hs
the dimensions of tho vein Of silver ore, he
located the Mammoth and the Ethel mines. By
began. and by August tho mining world was
s II y;on There E were e I 400 }ss5 in C,eeds in
success killed him. He would have lived to
| 10 uh Ou man ~ III ICLldlllGu u pOOT, nalI-
himself In Los Angeles"
lions for the first few Years was engaged in gold
mining in Inyo county, California. said Nor
s s9ate e0' sBS Spe 1 x tn ens OF M'a a diTcu minsas Of t ihis
long ago destroyed my skepticism of signs and
D @nde th henS Mary 'i mine in InS county 81 the er we sass
maker 1t has been was located by a very alb
ssTd Sn Tssr, The iS f Mary y,I had been Ss. r cunning ahd for
$22 a ton. 1t was p%inching out, and the COM
pany Of Salt Lake mon had their feelers out
entireiy. That was about its p'i Haif the
gang in The mine was discharged. Among the
a German, and German miners know all the
superstitions of American miners, besides q
pairing the track OF the s~cantling railroad that
led out of the tunnel TO the dumps. 1t was
candle on a board near his is hand. m Sudd dea
the German stopped and gazed earnestly at the
three candles.
What's mp said one of the mon.
" Lookout at dose candles: Dey vas speak
ing something's replied the German with his
The men saw that the wick in zach candle
had become bent like n fish hook. and the flames
ono person in twenty would have noticed il.
e II one candle shoots flame like as dot it
it means something's rich in. dere now '
''The German insisted that at the point in the
flame shot there was gold. Day after day he
talked it over. AZ last he, got permission 10 do
o eSFm' a eSS%Es.iHfk liz IN had shG not haf biasat edar! thrs sn fs sas
before color ore was found. He was wild at
his SuS %s;I: and in IN day Snt or t S"Pd more ! he came
size of pin heads could be seen. Tho Mary
Mining EaS cS sIo ; ~ h fSe td the SR %sIF' 9Rs c ass"ySd:
into the ledge the German had found for them.
there for several; years. The German was paid
by "a share of the COMPANY stock. Tho last 1
heard from that German he was broke again
and was being hired by the mine owners ovor
in the Calico region. near Barstow, TO carry
flames. To this day, all the gold miners in my
part Of California watch how candles taro
when they hGye occasion to use them in the
There arc mines without number that have
been 8. lG %sssao sy s e Vi EHiSSns Gity. ss Nsv s0n !stSs
greatest and richest miners in California to-
who own the big Utica mine and supported the
in, spiritualism, They have Invested in new
tirely tor several years, There are few miners
who profess belief in splrituslism, but there are
peatod several times; Tie Glintlng mine near
dream. f:Snocw the ,psopIo Who located The
mine, and have heard them tell about It.
years. They were laborcrs in the Ophir mine
Tor several years: Then Then they went out pros.
Phoebe Mountains, while their wives and chill.
dr"n lived in shantics IN Carson CITY. Tho
men found nothing. and when they could get no
one 10 grubstako them further they were about
TO 20 TO work on the Union Pacific railroad
81 ssp' and .i' chrts No%iin nSi was ~" teili h"t" Fla w wifs
about how he had looked every where for q gold
or silver mine OF soine sort, his l0yearOld boy
heard his talk. The next morning the child
told that he had dreamed his papa had: found
gold rock under II live oak tree near where a
cow stood. Several days later the boy said he
had dreamed the same thing again. Chris and
his brother, who believed in dreams, kept quiet
md Wuitel for the child to dream Tho same
Thing IA third time. sure enough, IL was not q
week later before the boy reported having
dreamed about the gold rock under the live OAK
tree near where a COW stood.
Live oak trees grow In southern Nevada
only along the mountain sides, but cows are
common there. Daniel Newlins was sure he
Lnow whore there was a live oak Tree in n cow
ranch, and he had prospeCtcd through that TO.
glon Cor gold. After weeks he and Chris found
the trco, but therc.were no cows near II Il that
lime. They looked the protruding rock ovor
and found not a trace of gold In II. For n short
Time Ihr miners CANNED thGrc in n aMAMdnry.