The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-29
A DESERTED MARBLE TOWN.
Gold Discovery That Built Bridge
water In Canadian Wilderness.

(New York SUM-
''U3 in Ontario" said J. w. Wheatley,
civil engineer of Montreal, There is a
deserted town called Bddgewater. winch
is built entirely of marble. About twenty
five years ago 4 farmers wife was
/ searching in the woods for a pig that
had strayed from the family pen. In a
particularly dense part OF the woods she
found q spring OF crystal water. Beins
/ thirsty, she stopped over TO drink. As
which rolled from under her foot and
fell into the water. Attracted by the
peculiar color OF the stone, she fished II
out and took il home It was found To
be twenty pound nugget OF almost pure
gold.
'Bridgewater at that time was about
forty miles from the nearest railroad. and
the site Of the town was a bowling
wilderness. But such was the effect of
the accidental discovery OF gold that
within six months the wilderness had
blOssomed into a busting, substantial
city OF 5000 inhabitants ana more accom-
ing. They came from every quarter.
There were Old forty-niners from the
PACING slope, amateurs from England and
the United States, DrOsDectors from ev-
cry field Shafts ana tunnels were driven
by hundreds.
In sinking a shaft one mile south of
the town. On the claim of b. Flint. a lie
senator Of Canada, a vein of white mar
bic was found Al the suggestion OF Sen
ator Flint, who wanted nJtie or nothing
was built Sc4iciy OF marble. II has even
to this day a court house. school, church,
hotel, stores and private dwellings, con-
structed wholly of white marble. one
mile north OF the town are an abandoned
grist mill and an ak factory, whose fOun-
datiOns are built of marble
w hile the town was booming the en-
tire country adjacent was prospected.
Some of the shafts and tunnels driven
were more than 100 feet in depth. but,
remarkable as it may seem, there was
he
pectOrs collectively to pay the cost of a
single mine in the district. Still. the
earlier disappointment only increased the
Viruiency OF the gold fever which laid
hold of the farmers arOung BriGgewater
with u particularly telIaciOus grasp In
fact. SO excited did they become that
many of them actually employed armed
guards to prevent trespassers from pick
ing up the loose gold which they inn
agined existed on their places in vast
quantities.
THE place where the original nugget
was found by the woman in quest OF
pig was christened Aladdins cave. and
land in its vicinity sold for fabulous
prices. One farmer whose farm adjOined
the cave sold five acres 10 an English
syndicate for $4,000 cash. The syndicate
spent another 100000 in developing the
claim, put never obtained 4 single ounce
OF free gold. In all IL mined about 100
tons OF quartz. In return the syndicate
received a bill for about $50 smelling
charges over and above the value of the
gold in the quartz. 1t was the last ship
ment of quartz. for the cost of hauling.
shipping and smelling was IN the neigh
borhood of $50 ton more than the rock
produced.
One old lrishman at Bridgewater, Pat
rick Kehough by name. received an offer
of $4,000 cash for mis- farm, which con-
sisted OF 100 acres of rock piled. barren
land. He promptly refused the offer.
holding out for $4,000 which he never
got. Today one could buy the property
for almost anything over 81 an acre
Within a. couple of years il became
patent to all that mining in Bridgewater
would never pay. So silently, one by one
marble residences. to be followed shortly
by the owners Of the marble stores, leav-
ing the once thrifty town to settle down
TO lonely, weed choked and futureless
deSuetudc.'