The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-09
BRIDGEHATER,x ONE NUGGET.
Tho Strange History OF n Canadian Town That
Was Built OF Marble.
From the Morning 0reoonfan.

From the Morning Oreoonfan.
One salmon multiplies its species q million
fold; the giants of the Western forest spring
from q seed no larger than a peat; but for gold
the magic metal-humanity has levelled noun
tains and bridGed seas and oceans" said q we'll
known local civil engineer.
~ was assistant engineer on tho Ontario and
Quebec Railroad, a branch Of the Canadian
Pacific Railway. and in running our prelimi-
nary lines one of them touched Bridgewater.
Ontario. a deserted town, that was the persona
~1cation of Oliver Goldsmith's Deserted Viii
lage.' Bridgewater was brought into existence
by one of tho strangest gold finds and crazes in
the history OF this continent. and it goes to show
what great results sometimes follow small and
unimportant occurrences. l will tell you the
story OF how a stray cow caused millions or
money to be- spent in search OF gold.
Nearly twenty-five years ago a farmers wife
farm for n cow that had strayed. and. becoming
thirsty, stopped to get a drink from n spring.
which rolled to her feet and which proved to DO
q twenty-pound nugget or almost pure gold.
from the nearest ra'lrond. and the present site
of the town was nothing but a wilderness. but
the effect of that accidental find of the farmers
wife, was such that inside Of six months what
had been a burned-over, barren wilderness was
converted into Il substantial city of nearly 5000
people, igp;ny q shaft about n milo south Of III,
townsite. on the claim of the Hon. Billia Flint.
the purest white marble ever found on this con:
tinent was discovered. and. at the suggestion of
the senator. the town of Bridgewater was prac-
tically built OF marble. for IL has to-day the
only hotel. church, school,, courthouse and ,pri-
vate dwellings constructed entirely Of white
marble in tho world, and n mile north of the
town are an abandoned axe factory and grist
mill, whose foundations are built OF the same
beautiful MATERIAL.
OF men prospected the entire country, and shafts
and tunnels were driven-some of them nearly
100 feet deep; but. strange as 1t may seem,
there was never enough gold found to pay the
in the entire district. So excited did the farm.
ers around Bridgewater become that some OF
them actually hired guards to keep men from
going on thoir land to pick up gold.
acres of rock'strewn, barren land, was offered
$l25,000 for his holding, but held out for
for probably $3.50.
lone ~rancher. whose farm adjoined 'Alad-
din's Cave. the place where the original nugget
was found, sold i've acres to an English syndI-
cate for 800. 600, and it is an established fact
that The syndicate spent MS much more develop
ing their claim. as everything was very costly.
all material having to be hauled nearly fifty
miles. over rough roads. and they did not get a
single ounce of free gold out of their purchase;
but they mined some quartZ-about 100 tons
shipped it to the States, and In return got q bill
from the smelling company for $3.50 smelling
This was the first, and i believe the last, ship
mcnt of quartz ever made, as the cost of hauling,
shipping and smelling was $3.50 q ton moro
than the rock produced.
Bridgcwater were never worked other than for
local building purposes, just why j do not
know. for. though i have seen many so-called
marble palaces in different parts OF Europe, l
in Bridgewa,cr. probably the only entire town
built of white marble In the world"