The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-04
roads. crossed the desert on foot along with his
burro aud dog. and after days OF argument he

500. with the Columbia Mino rs security.
With that money he got out 200 sacks OF as
sorted orc from his property, had that ore
hauled by team across tho desert to the Santa
Fo Railroad at Blake. and then forwarded to
the smotcr. The returns were 500. Witt
saw his fortune coming: but he had been SELL
deceived before and his bitter experiences OF
forty-three years taught him to keep silent and
NOT be overconildent. He went to Los An
geles. and by keeping ceaselessly at It. he at
last managed to get several people interested
In his mlnc. lilo refused $25, 900 for the prop
crty several times. and at length agreed to sell
for S42.OOn
Now. ut the age OF 80. william Witt. white
haired and bronzcd by exposure to the ee-
ments. bent with rheumatism. wrinkled from
n generation Of privations and suffering. with
out kith or kin that he knows OF in the wide
world. with no spot that he may cali home and
not remaining ambition. Possesses a tidy
fortune. which will keep hin all his days. But
still he is restless. He wonders what he can
ever do with the money he has braved and en-
dured SO much to get. and all who know him
predict that in less than six months the old
miner vii! have discarded his fine clothes and
abandoned his room at the hotel. and will he
back in the mountains again living like her.
NIT and searching for more mineral wealth.
The prospecting experience Of James Brown
Scott. who found the Wallapi group Of mines
at Chloride in Mojave county. Arz.. In
widely different from that OF Witt. Scott was
in the mining region less than year. and he
had prospected with two experienced miners
less than four months when he actually Stun
b!ed upon the Prince. the Texas and the Faith
full mines. which together are yielding $4,000
a month in silver and lead. Scott came West
for his health. He had been n tutori IN chemistry
at the University at Ann Arbor. Mich, and
knew metallurgy as taught In the college
laboratory. Very naturally he driftcd into
the mining regions OF Arizona. He was at
United Verde mine at jerome. Ariz.. for
few weeks and then went to the Harqua
Hala mines at Ehrcnberg on the Colorado
River. When the summer Of 1893 drew near.
Scott felt the heat Of southern Arizona Sc
verely. He proposed that party of miners in
the Harqua Hala mines should so across the
Territory to the Grand Canon Of the Colorado
for the summer. making the trip on horseback.
and prospecting along the way. Two miners
fell in with the plan at once. but several other
old time prospectors pooh poohed the idea OF
looking for mineral wealth along the route
from Harqua Haa. 200 miles northward to the
Grand Canon.
why. young man." said they. there is no
moro chance OF finding ledge OF any sort OF
pay ore in that country than there is Of catch
whole country was run over by prospectors be-
fore you we're born. and there's fool prospectors
who have chased over the hills every month
since. There is no mineral up that way"
But Scott and two miners nevertheless
started out for a summer at the Grand Canon.
and they went prospecting along the way
| That was in May. 1886. The trio reached Ash
Fork In August. There the two od-tme
miners said they were tired of the useless
search for minerals. and they proposed push
| ing on speedily to the Grand Canon for Il rest
and hunting. Scott said he believed there was
a lot Of unbound mineral territory between that
| locality and the Colorado River. The two
miners smiled at his tenderfoot credulity. and
said he was welcome to all he found. They
! tramped off over the rocks and extinct volcanic
! craters toward tho canon. while Scott hired a
pack horse and went of to the northwest
| toward the White Hills silver mines. He had
! not been gone ten DAYS before he came
upon soil indications OF a highly mineral
! lied formation beneath. In a day more he
| had found enough outcroppings to assure
. him OF the presence Of valuable ore running
in II series OF long narrow lodges in the hills Of
| the desoate valley whore Chloride has since
sprung up. When the ASSAYS showed ore
which yielded 127 ounces OF silver. 30 per cont
| lead and about So in gold to the ton. Scott
| could have shouted with Joy. With such o
showing he quickly interested capital, and the
| development Of the ore bed began forthwith.
| Mr. Scott sold his interest in the three mines
last ear for S175OOO. The two miners from
whom he parted at Ash Fork on that August
/ day in 1876 are this season prospecting among
the Tuolerso Mountains in New Mexico Mr..
Scott and his family are travelling in Japan.
! The Rand group OF gold mines. the richest
| in southern California. and. possibly. the
rnI In
California was found April 23. 1895. by
men who did less than thirty days prospect
lag Expert prospectors and miners say that
| the very reason the discoveries OF the Rand
mines were so successful was that they knew
SO little OF practical prospecting and had none OF
the prejudices that all prospectors insensibly
form. The rapid leap OF the three men who
found the Rand Mines and are still the owners
and operators. is one OF the wonderful stories
told in California. Four years ago Frederick N.
Mooers was a reporter for the Los Angeles
Express at salary Of few dollars week.
Charles A. Burcham had recently failed in a
little butcher shop in San Bernardino. and
John Singleton was working at 81 day in q
general merchandise store at Bakersfield. Cal.
Last week each of these men refused $1,000
900 for his third interest in the Rand mines.
Their combined income is 6O,OOOa month and
the quantity Of ore in sight warrants the belief
that not only will the income increase as the
mining development advances, but that the
ore is ample to keep the stamp mills running
for at least ten or twelve years longer
In February. 1895. there was little excite
ment among gold miners In Southern Califor-
MIA concerning the gold placers at Goer-s
valley on the Mojave desert in the southern
part OF Kern county. Among the 400 or SOC
men who rushed there were Mooers. Burcham
and Singleton. who camped together at Goler
While the miners we're as busy as bees in
shoveling the desert sands into the dry wash.
ers and attracting the gold. Mooers and Single
ton gave their attention to studying whence
had come the golden flakes In the sand They
reasoned that il they could discover the lodges
from which the golden particles had beer
eroded they would have mines worth millions
BY and by it dawned upon Mooers and Single
ton that Goler was in the middle OF &
great volcanic crater, and that countless
ages ago the gold in the sand was {
part OF the rim OF volcano. Burchan
| f,,s. i.b hta nd a n h4y