Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-04-02
A ONE-NUGGET CAMP.
BTRANGE HISTORY OF BRiOeewArE TER
A DESERTED CANADIAN TOWN.

a Valuable Specimen OF Gold Wns Found
Thore and the Grcnt Rush OF rr"Srcrtnrs
Was Something Astoun,lins-Sui .,u-
other Speck OF Gold Discovered.
"One salmon multiplies its species n
million fold; the giants Of the Western
forest spring from seed no larger than
pea; but for gold--the magic metal
humanity has levelled mountains and
bridged seas and oceans" said we'll
known Oregon civil engineer.
Il was assistant engineer on the On
tario and Quebec Railroad, a branch OF
the Canadian Pacific Railway. and in
running our preliminary lines one of
them touched Bridgewater, Ontario, n
deserted town, that was the personifl-
cation OF Oliver Goldsmith's Deserted
Village Bridgewater was brought in
to existence by one OF the strangest
gold finds and crazes IN the history of
this continent, and 1t goes to show
what great results sometimes follow
small and unimportant occurrences.
will tell you the story of how a stray
COW caused millions OF money to be
epeht III search OF SOlQ-
Nearly twenty-five years ago far
mer's wife was searching the woods
surrounding their farm for COW that
had strayed, and, becoming thirsty,
stopped to get drink from spring
Slipping. she fell against small, loose
rock, which rolled to her feet aud
which proved to be a twenty-pound
nugget Of almost pure gold. Bridge.
water at that time was almost forty
miles from the nearest railroad, and
the present site Of the town was moth
Ing but wilderness. but the effect OF
that accidental find Of the farmers wife
was such that inside of six months
what had been burned-over, barren
wilderness was converted into a sub
stantial city Of nearly 5000 people.
In digging q shaft about n mile
south Of the townsite, on the claim OF
the Hon. Billia Flint, a life Senator
OF Canada, an immense quarry of the
purest white marble ever found on this
! continent was discovered, and, ut the
| suggestion Of the Senator, the town OF
Bridgewater was practically built OF
marble, for 1t has to-day the only hotel
church, school, courthouse and private
dwellings constructed entirely Of white
marble in the world, and a mile north
Of the town are ON abandoned axe fac.
tory and grist mill, whose foundations
are built OF the same beautiful mate.
rial.
| During the building OF the town
| thousands of men p:osrected the entire
country, and shafts and tunnels were
driyen-many of them nearly 100 feo
deep; but, strange us 1t may seem
there was never enough gold found tc
pay the cost Of single shaft or tunnel
sunk or run in the entire district. Sc
excited did the farmers around Bridge
| water become that some of them actu.
ally hired guards to keep men from
going on their land to pick up gold.
Pat Kehoe. an old Irishman who
owned 100 acres Of rock-strewn, barren
land, was offered Sl25, 900 for his hold.
Ing, but held out for 100000 To-day
you could buy the property for proba-
bly, $3.50.
"One rancher. whose farm adjoined
'Aladdin's Cave the place where the
original nugget was found, sold five
acres to an English syndicate for 500,
600, and 1t is an established fact tina,
the syndicate spent as much more de-
yeloping their claim, as everything was
very costly. all material having to be
hauled nearly fifty miles, over rough
roads. and they did not get n single
ounce Of free gold out of their pur.
chase; but they mined some quartz
about 100 tons-shipped 1t to the states
and In return got bill from the smelt.
Ing company for $3.50 smelling charges
over and above the gold in the quartz
This was the first. and ! believe the
last, shipment OF quartz ever made, as
the cost OF hauling, shipping and smelt-
Ing was $3.50 ton more than the rock
produced.
For some reason the marble quar-.
ries OF Bridgewater were never worked
other than for local building pur-
poses. just why l do not know
ior, though have seen many
so-called marble palaces in differ.
ent parts Of Europe, have never
seen anything like those to be found In
Bridgewater, probably the only entire
town built Of white marble in the
world -