The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-11-27
The Famous Bonanza Strike He Made
Near ROsita, Colorado.
HOW HE FIRST USED HIS MONEY.
Gorgcd Himself With SaruihcS """
Then Ran an Encmy out of Town.
His Wife and Daughter Washed
Clothes While Dressed I'm SILK

famous Bdssiok mines "N is""it"f r''''
recalls the history of one or the most
famous proportos in The state Inc ms
.orv Of The discovery OF the Bassick mine
ani ~ is dlscovcrer is best told boy one
kgho Was and is familiar with all tho
tlrclmsfanccs surrounding the finding
ma working Of the famous property
Edmund T.. Bassick drifted into Gus
Ger county. COL about 1915 or 1876, orr
rinaliy from the state of Maine, he had
Wandered an over the earth. Hc is said
H. have made and lost "a fortune I'm Aus
iraIla. ne had whacked bulls across the
piaIns. had been q butcher. a saloon
keeper 81 sailor. and an all-dround pros
pcctOr and ddvcnturer
whatever truth there may be in those
hcOunts. this much IS certain: When Bas-
eek struct R0sita. with his wife and IT.
ile yellow-haired girl he was about Js
nnpr0misne "a type as ever wore IL jump
pr or pounded 70 burro across noun
tain. Ho had neither friends. money
nor hope. Before the little shanty. stin
pointed out. where bis wife old the
washing for the camp and the little yell
tow-baired girl fried the bacon and potted
the succulent bean, the future multi
millionaire spent his days smoking JUS
pipe and browsing in the sun.
In this same shanty she who pcisIlf wi
tver the washtuD and the little one VINO
Raw life through tine mingled odor. oi
crease and stcaming clothes wore lnier
silks and laces. when fortune came the
natural instinct for personal adOrnincht
asserted itself. and there. amid the dlnsy'
pordid surroundings of sooty windows
Warned board floors. uncertain ana ILL
mated furnishings. mother and daughter
wore silks and laces-atc, slept cooked,
md washed in them.
As for Bassick. the sense Of 10 him I'M
limited wealth took the form OF sardines--
unlimited oil-soaked tin~bOX sardincs.
Tho day "a $1,000 check came down from
2slackhawk for mere handful of ore sent
w for treatment Bassick was found be-
Gore Johnson supply store, seated on the
lie plain walk his jaws dripping with
oil. dozen empty sardine boxes strcwn
about him, and a. dozen others waiting
tho def thrust of tho horn-handled knife.
COUNTED WEALTH BY SARDINES.
Yes he said Il like these Things.
and now that ana rich propose 90 have
hi tho sardines / want b'goshr
Later the Bassicks learned the luxury
Of wealth: they returned TO the East. to
be 1ined. wined. fetcd liOuized and ter
yorzed by the monster called society.
SUI. later tho yell0w-haired girl. who
only knew the rough but kindly cOur-
icios OF the mining camp felt the CLAM
Our OF princely favors-but that is an
other story. as Kipling says.
Not all his days OF poverty were
t.ent I'M drowsy idleness. While his wife
washed Bassick cut wood on the noun
tllns lie prospccted some. and over on
ryudall mountain there are still the
outlines Of a tunnel which ne began. But
tlle work here was Observation-Disclosures
ing somewhat on the courtesy OF john
son. the local groceryman.
Mr. Johnson. said Bassick one day.
I'm runnin' that tunnel yet l guess
.''Oh. We are. are ye: and ven need
more grub drawled Johnson. Suppose
rs Just quit runnn' the tunnel and just
take q turn runnin yourself out o.
camp
t,uietlv T'U have TO have some more
grub I'm strike # some day. ! only
syant "a little flour and bacon.
We'll said Johnson. when You strike
A. III be glad 10 see YOU I'm not givln
Erfo away ,,.-.,.,.
no. we're not. are We said bassick'
roreIy hit and 'youW be glad to see me
when 7 strike H. will We? Look here. john
ron. I've had bad luck but have had credit
with You and others and I've always
made a stagger 90 pay. but by the Eter-
nal and his dark eyes flashed. If ! ever
do strike II IN drive ye out of camp
DROVE JOHNSON OUT OF CAMP.
And he kept his word. I'm the fulness
Of time ruined and q bankrupt. Johnson
walked out Of the camp without dol
lar. driven 20 the wall by the man he
had insuited For the first use Bassick
made Of his wealth was TO open a nam
moth supply sore where goods were
given @ ay az half their cost TO the entire
district Greater things afterward shap-
ed themselves under the hand made
strong by fortune but "a sweeter mOrsel
he never tasted than the sweet SAVIOR OF
That day when Johnson hit the road
But 20 the story OF the mine The trail
bver TO Tyudal Mountain. where the little
tunnel was cutting It's hopeless way.
skirted a small. Cone-shaped Hill. and
this trail Bassck followed daily To and
from his work An down the sides of
the hin We're little powders. strangely
coated. OF not the least interest 20 the
average prospector but some way they
interested Bassick. and in a haphazaTd
way ne began probing the hin near inc
top. 10 was blind purpose. and he found
nothing hut an aggregation Of these same
strangely coated pebbles.
zone day Bassick took down sack Of
she stun To a local assayer. who laughed
at him. but agreed Co test the stun for a
money. lie cut the wood but 30 was the
last he ever cut. for the strange coating
on the pebbles proved to Doe form Of
fellurium, running from a. per cent. to
81 per cent. pure gold.
THE WORLDS GREATEST BONANZA
For a few DAYS the little cone-shaped
hin was the center of the world. A sin
gle car load sent ont returned $50 100 A
shaft which was sent down showed the
ore body 10 Dee apparently limitlcss. and
fabulous prices We're onered Tor tle ind
But large experience and bad fortune had
unconeciously done their work for the
time-Worn prospector. and be Kept his
head This was beyond his widest
dreams and his 70 would remain. Every
where hts credit was unlimited. Under
his direction systematic development was
begun. a tunnel was driven go iot TO
meet the shaft az depth of 100 fect. and
at the point on junction AN neceasor.
machinery was placed. and In few
months where Rassick struck his pick
Inc little town of Quireda sorang into
existencc The cactus and prairie dog
were displaced. and old Bassick.' Ned
Bassick. 'iard-Up Bassick. he OF the
jeans and Jumpers. became Edmund C..
Bassick, Esq
This was in june 1877 Before the
expiration ni tnc second year the output
OF the haANiek mine exceeded SJjoOuO. an
average Ni.ue on $50 "a ton. Pockets Were
opened giving $4,000 a ton 50 valuable
was the ore mat for a time, 20 prevent
stealing, the miners were stripped naked
on entering the mine ana furnished with
another suit. This they wore crring the
shift. ana exchanged % for their own