The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-19

yellow metal in sight A prominent
mining engineer estimates the AMOUNT
at $6,000,000. He also figures out there
are as many millions of low grade stuff.
This bewitched mine is right on the
spot where five thousand miners cursed
and execrated a couple of Denver
Sharpers who led them into the belief
that gold was to be found at the foot
of Mount Pisgah. This was in 1884.
The Denver men had sailed hole, sent
the news to Leadville, then the center
of the Little Pittsburg excitement, and
stampeded the crowd of treasure seek
ers from Leadville to Mount Pisgah,
one hundred and fifty miles away. They
came in such body-miners, metallur-
gists, assayers, experts of every kind
that the Swindlers abandoned the Idea
of selling lot of worthless land and
fed during the night to escape lynching
from the hands Of righteously indig-
nant and deceived thousands.
First Boom a Damper.
This incipient boom had rather a
dampening effect on the metamorpho-
sis of a cattle camp into a gold section,
now the greatest on earth All the land
where Cripple Creek now stands be-
longed to the Pixies Peak Land and
Cattle Company and they jealousy
guarded it. There was one homestead
on 1t when Robert Womack began pros
pecting in 1891. Complaint was made
to the owner of the ranch that the lives
Of range riders and of cattle were
greatly endangered by the many holes
that Womack was persistently digging
over the property. He did not quite like
the formation, however, and was about
to give up his work when one day he
picked up a rock to throw at an OBJ
stinate steer that was roaming in the
vicinity Of his claim. The weight of
the stone amazed him. With another
rI1fntxIu Ire nj he
found the inside fairly glistening with
gold.
One may naturally suppose he was
intensely excited over this discovery.
He lost no time in getting it assayed,
and found 1t $500 per ton. The news Of
this strike caused prospectors to come
in crowds from all parts of the State.
1t must be confessed, though, on ac-
count Of the Mount Pisgah deception,
that they were little suspicious, and
would have made short work of Wo-
mack If they had been fooled again.
A town was plated out on eighty
acres Of ground, and the only stipula-
ton was that when proSpectors aban-
doned their claims the improvements
which they might have made should re-
vert to the original owner of the COW
camp.
Addition after addition was plated
and many lots were sold. This was in
winter time at the close of the year
1891, yet in the few remaining months
of the year 100000 worth Of gold was
taken out of the ground. Then the
boom that has not yet lost it's zest be-
gan, and it will continue until every
foot of camp is developed and is pro-
ducing ore.
The Real Rush Commenced.
1t was in 1892 that the real rush be-
gan. Prior to this so many unemployed
had gone into the district from Colo
RADIO Springs that the miners Of Lead
vile sneered, and the camp and its
prospectors were strongly identified
with alfalfa" Geologically the camp
was a perfect enigma to expert mining
men.
Colorado Springs was only twenty
miles distant, and the whole surplus
population soon emptied itself into the
cow pasture. Mining men did not be-
Heve in it, and Denver let 1t pass. The
district has had hard battle with
skepticism and incredulity, and it is
proud of it's well-earned laurels. In any
event, the name of Robert Womack is
more intimately connected with the