The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-01-30
A DESERTED MARBLE TOWN.
The Gold Discovery That Built Bridgexater hi
Canadian Wilderness.

UP in Ontario" said j. W.Wheatley,
a civil engineer OF Montreal. there is
a deserted town called Bridgewater,
which Is built entirely of marble. About
p years ago farmers wife was
searching in the woods for pig that
had strayed from the family pen In
a particularly dense part Of the woods
she found "A spring OF crystal water.
Being thirsty, she stopped over to
drink. As she did so she slipped on 4
round stone which rolled from under
her foot and fell into the water At
tracted by the peculiar color of the
stone, she fshed il out and took IL
home. 1t was found to be a 20-pound
nugget OF almost pure gold.
"Brdgewater at that time was about
40 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
bossomed into a bustling, substantial
city of 5000 inhabitants and more a
coming. They came from every quar-
ter There were old Forty-niners from
the Pacific slope. amateurs from Eng
land and the United States prospectors
from every field Shafts and tunnels
were driven by hundreds.
"In sinking craft one mile south of
the town. on the claim of Il. Flint, "A life
senator OF Canada, n vein OF white
marble was found. At the suggestion
Of Senator Flint. who wanted little or
nothing for the material, the town of
Bridgewater was built solidly of mar
bile. II has even 10 this day a court
house school church. hotel stores and
private dwellings constructed wholly OF
white marble. one mile north of the
town are an abandoned gI'ist mill and
an axe factory whose foundations are
built Of marble.
"While the town was booming the en-
| tire country adjacent was prospected.
| Some of the shafts and tunnels driven
were more than 100 feet i'm depth. but.
remarkable as Il may seem, there was
never sufficient gold found by the pros
I pectors collectively to pay the cost of
| single mine in the district Stll, the
| earlier disappolntmeuts only increased
! the virulcnCv of the gold fcver. which
| laid hold Of the farmers around Bridge
| water with particularly tenacious
! grasp. In fact, 50 excited did they be-
| come that many OF them actually em-
| ployed armed guards To prevent tres
! passers from picking up the loose gold
! which they imagined existed on their
! places i'm vast quantities.
"rhc place where the original nugget
/ was found by the woman i'm quest OF a
! pig was christened Aladdin's cave, and
| land in It's vicinity sold for fabulous
| prices one farmer whose farm adioin-
| cd the cave sold five acres to an Eng
. Iish syndicate for 100000 cash. The
/ syndicate spent another $1,000 in de
lVelupiu- the claim but never obtained
/ n single ounce of free gold. I'm all u
mined about 100 tons of quartz. la rr
| turn the syndicate received bill Tot
about 1876 smelling charges over anc
! above the value of the gold In tn,
| quarts. 10 was the last ship
ment of quartz for the cos
OF hauling. shipping ane smeltini
was in the neighborhood 81 $50 "a toi
more than The rock produced
"One old irishman az Bridgcwatcr
Patrick Kchourh bv name received ~
offer ~ st25. 600 cash FOR his farm. whicl
consisted ~ 100 acres 81 rock-piled
barren land. lie promptly refused tn
ofrer. holding ont FOR $4,000. which n
never rot To-day one could buy th
property Tor almost anything over 5
/ an nCrc
within couple n years II becam
/ patent 90 pli that mining I'm PridRe
water would never pay. So siicntl,
ono by one. the Drospectors stole ava
from their marble residences. Co be fol
/ lowed shortly bv tho owners of ~
marble stores. leaving the oncc thirft
town to settle down to e lonely. weed
chokcd and futurcicss dcsuetude.'