Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-04-17
FORTUNE 0F IR[ MINERS.
Some Instances Where Enor-
nous Wealth Was Dis
covered by Pure Luck.
THE RICH TILDEN MINE.
Was Found BY California Sheriff
While in Pursuit of Two
MurdererS.


ally Discovered by an Emigrant Yield
| Enormous Revenues-The Finder sold His
Claim for Few Hundred DoIIars-FataI-
ity of DISCOVERIES.
The stories that gold miners tel
when they are in the mood are as thrill
ling rs romance. Superstition enters
largely into Il majority of the stories
one hears about u campfire, but they
are generally founded on facts. how.
ever wonderful they may seem The
pure luck that attends the finding OF
enormous wealth is an exhaustess
subject for discussion.
The rich Tilden mine in Alpine
county, Cal, was found in a curious
way. Sheriff james w. Carter ano
two men had gone over the mountains
after two men who had murdered
sheep herder. The region is as lonely
as any among the Sierras. The time
was March, 1877. The Sheriff and his
companions We're in the saddle foui
days, and when they We're well ul
among the mountains the trail of the
fugitive murderers became obliterated
They got out of their saddles and made
themselves as comfortable for the
night as possible in their blankets OF
trio set about to find some tracks that
would give them clue to the fugitives
trail. The Sheriff and his companions
went about searching for hours almost
on their hands ana knees. While thus
engaged Sheriff Carter picked III
among the manzanita chaparral piece
OF live rock. Having been a miner he
put the chunk into his pocket, just as
he had done before times without
number. The search for the trail OF
the murderers was finally abandoned
and the Sheriff and his assistants
went home.
A day or two later Sheriff Garter
came across the bit of live rock he ha6
found up among the mountains. He
got out magnifying glass and was
astonished to see traces of colo
everywhere in it. He started up the
mountains Immediately, and, employ
ing am experienced prospector, a search
that lasted three months was begun foI
the ledge from which the float rock
had been detached. 1t happened thai
the very day that the Sheriff and hi.
companions set out to follow the fugi
tive murderers was the one on which
the Electoral Commission in Washing
ton decided the Presidential contes,
aHeiiiSt 0uInuel 81. 1liueQ-Mafch
1871 Sheriff Carter was an ardenl
Democrat and he named his mine the
Tilden. 1t was a good gold producer
for dozen years, but the Sheriff never
profited much by the tens of thousand.
of dollars it yielded. He was harasseG
by lawsuits and in one year he spent
$500 in law.
The Corona group of gold mines or
the Colorado River north of Yuma
Ariz., was accidentally discovered by
an emigrant going in a prairie schooner
with his family to Los Angeles from
| Texas These are among the best OF
SO called desert mines in the Unitee
States. g. ID. Lane. the millionaire golC
miner Of San Francisco, who gave
| Sio,oOO to the Bryan campaign fund in
1896 owns two-thirds of the Corona
mines and gets monthly revenue OF
$4,000 or $4,000 from them TIL,
Texan, who was named George Harris
camped one night in the fall of 1855
ON the west bank OF the Colorado
River, before starting to cross the
sandy waste known as the Colorado
desert. He built fire, and while his
wife busted herself with the meal ht
lay on the ground near the wagon and
idly looked at the queer pinkish rocl
formation close beside him. He though
the rock had trace OF GOLD, but was
not sure enough of it to give the matter
much study. However, he whackee
off few pieces of rock and threw
them into the wagon. A friend who hae
been in gold camps for years was call
ing at Harris's home in Los Angeles {
few weeks later. The conyersatio
turned to gold and silver mining, anC
some enc happened to speak of the
curious rock on the Colorado River
The specimens were hunted up in til,
back yard and shown the caller.
, These are great specimens of low
grade ore" said the caller.
e The specimens were assayed as re
+, fractory ore that ran frow $50 to $50
: ton. George Harris had little faitl
, that the mines would be worth devel
, opment, and he gladly and auickl,
soId what title he had in them for
few hundred dollars. The propert,
e was bought in 1898 for $4,000 and
t small fortune was spent in the devel
n opment of the refractory ledge unit
1t began to pay its way. When it di
the returns from the smelters ran III
y into thousands of dollars.
d A common topic in groups of gol
e miners is the fatality that seems to N
/ tach to successful gold miners. I'll
a more successful the miner the nor
closely does a grim fate seem to sta!
behind him. So many cases of violcn
. death among rich gold miners may b
} cited, that the superstition seems t
have more of basis of fact behind
than is common with such notions.
volume dealing with superstitious fan
\ cies about death gives a long list G
miners whose lucky discoveries weI
soon followed by disaster "Old Vii
=" ginny,' the original finder of the VII
l. ginia mine of the Comstock lode. wa
killed by bucking mule. Brode. tn
finder of the Standard mine in Cal
forna, died in a snowstorm. Story.
celebrated California discoverer, wa
killed by the Indians. Comstock, afte
! letting incalculable wealth slip out c
his hands, became almost paupe
and shot himself while on a search n
tl,o L..