The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-22

its great mining business.
The lore Of gold camps In the Territories in.
cludes the story OF how the late Joe Ames
came by his fortune OF 81. 400, 900. which was
quickly spent in Europe and in the big Eastern
cities between 1883 and 1896. For several
years Ames had an annual income Of about
100000. besides the interest from his invest
ments In bonds and stocks. He was born In
Providence, II. l., and cam West in 1868. lie
was a railroad brakeman. and having married
IN San Antonio. Tex. drifted TO Las Vegas. n.
NJ. In 1876. He opened n little saloon In the
old Mexican adobe pueblo. and sold whiskey
TO tho men who worked in the mines. The sa-
loon business was poor. and when the mines
petered out. Ames looked about for means to
support his family that lived in a shanty close
beside the saloon. A weary and ~footsoce pros.
pector came down TO Las Vegas on a tramp
from Espahola one day. lie happened to have
come originally from Rhode Island, and Ames
took an interest In the tattered fellow on that
account. The prospector was william Easton.
He told Ames about n mine that he had To-
Gated six miles from Espah lola. Although
Ames had heard imaginative and enthusiastic
prospectors talk before. he became a convert
to Eastonis hopefulness. sold his horse and wag-
on. bar and liquors and devoted all his money.
some $500. to driving a tunnel into the mine.
For three months the two men worked hard.
1t was very discouraGinG. but Easton was sure
he was on the right scent. The tunnel was
pushed through sixty feet OF porphyry and
limestone. Ames had said he would work on
the pro ,pect till June l. and then quit IL sue
cess was not reached. On May % the golden
ledge was struck. The mine was named the
Sunshine.
But the ore was not productive Of mmedi-
ate wealth, as was expected. Although it ran
from S120 to $3.50 a ton and there was a lot of
1t. 1t could not be proftably hauled nv a horse
and wagon to'a smeltet POO miles distant and
across mountains and valleys. Several years
of severe hardships followed. Several times
the men were tempted to sell their lodges of
gold for anything they could get. But their
logged determination to stay by the mine pre-
vailed in the end. Finally the Denver and Rio
Grande Railroad WAS built southwark from
Colorado. An outlet for the Sunshine ore was
supplied, and the development of the mine
went toward by jumps. The Sunshine be.
came the richest mine in northern New Mex
leo. 1t shipped carloads OF ore every week TO
the Pueblo smelters. and Ames moved to Den
yer. In 1889 he sold out his one-third inter-
est in the property for 100000 His family
had been in Paris for several years. and he
went there to join them. After travelling
about Europe trouble of some sort arose in the
family. and Ames started secretly and alone
from Bremen for Baltimore on a merchant YES
~ 10 III tio tiiu it was u
sane!during the last month OF his life. He shot
himself lust as thesvessel came in sight of the
American shore. Two of his sons Are now
earning their living In a San Francisco dry
goods store.
The Corona group of gold mines on the Col
orado River north Of Yuma. Ariz.. was acct
dentally discovered by an emiGrant going in a
prairie schooner with his family to Los An
geles from Texas. These are among the best
- l. 90 ILL 1z--. -s.- Al IL
States. c.. D. Lane. the millionaire gold miner
Of San Francisco, who gave $4,000 to the
Bryan campaign fund in 1896. WINS two-thirds
Of the Corona mines and gets a monthly reve-
nue. OF $4,000 or $4,000 from them. The
Texan. who was named George Harris. camred
ore night In the fall OF 1889 on the west bank
of the Colorado River, before starting to cross
the sandy waste known az the Colorado des-
ert. He built a fire. and while his wife busted
herself with the meal he Law on the ground
near the wagon and idly looked at tho queer
pinkish rock formation close beside him. lie
thought the rock had n trace of gold. but was
not sure enough of it to give the matter much
study. However. he whacked off a few pieces
of the rock and threw them into the wagon. A
friend who had been in gold camps for years
was calling at Harris's home in Los Angeles a
few weeks later. The conversation turned to
gold and silver mining. and some one hap
pened to SPEAK Of the curious rock on the Col
orado River. The specimens were hunted up
in the back yard and shown the caller.
Can you go to the spot where you found
these specimens?" asked the caller. These
are great specimens Of low. grade ore and II
there is much Of such rock down there it will
be n rich mine
The specimens were assayed as refractory
ore that ran from $50 to $50 a ton. George
Harris had little faith that the mines would be