Gilpin observer., 1899-07-20

NluY, l6Bl, ". fTlEUee unu lLu-
ward De La Vergne happened to meet
w. S. Stratton at Colorado Springs.
The two former had been prospecting
in the Cripple Creek district during the
preceding winter. Stratton was at that
time carpenter and builder by trade.
but he had for many years been in the
habit of prospecting in the intervals of
his regular occupation; he had learned
the use of the blow-pipe and was IA
miliar with the elements of mineral
ogy and geology: he was, in fact, al
energetic well-informed man, well
equipped for prospecting work of any
kind. AT this particular period he was
engaged in search for the mineral
cryolite. which, as the chief source of
aluminium, was then in active demand.
His camp was on the Little Beaver, OH
the west side of Pixies Peak. toward
Cripple Creek. When he met Frisbee
and De La Vergne. they exhibited the
results of assays from samples brought
down by them from their claims near
the Bennett and Myers ranch. the site
of the present town of Cripple Creek.
The results were so encouraging that
Stratton went up to see the district and
there met Bob Womack. who took him
to see what work had been done. Rob-
ert Womack was. without much de-
sign on his part, the discoverer of
Cripple Creek. He once owned n small
ranch in the district, but it became alb
sorbed among the larger holdings of
Bennett Il Myers. the proprietors of
the cattle range which, in the years be-
fore the gold was found. extended over
the sunny hills lying on the southwark
slope of Pixies Peak.
Womack took Stratton to see his
prospect in Poverty Gulch and accom-
panied him in trips to other claims.
Among the prospectors WIS Dick
Houghton. an old mountaineer and
specimen hunter. whose labors have
enriched may museums. One day
HoughtOn brought down a piece of ore
from his claim on Gold Hill and show
ed 1t to Stratton, telling him he had
found some galena. The future owner
of the independence examined 1t with
his magnifying glass and expressed
doubts upon Houghton's determina-
tion of the presence of galena. Incl
dentally Stratton detected several lit
tie cubes of rusty gold, one of which
had become FURNISHED by being rub
bed in Houghtons pocket. The two
men went to the camp and a blow pipe
test proved Strattons surmise to be
correct Neither of them knew that
the bright silvery mineral which
Houghton took to be galena was syl-
vanite, the telluride of gold and silver.
1t is not recorded who first recognized
the tellurides of Cripple Creek. but
there is story that a miner built
II camp fireplace with. some pieces of
rock which contained this mineral and
that the heat of his cooking operations
roasted the ore so as to bring out the
fact that it carried gold. Isl non G
verO, q ben trovato.''
Stratton went up Gold Hill and To-
Gated claim next to Houghton's. 1t
was named the Gold King and is now
the property of the Gold & Globe prop
erty. On June 9th Stratton. accompa-
MED by Fred Troutman. walked up the
ridge above Battle Mountain, and see
ing clump of willows at the head of
Wilson creek they descended the hill
to reach the spring. the presence Of
which was inferred. This locality is
now covered by the town of Gold
field. After getting drink they
climbed the hill to the north and found
several loose pieces Of rock, one of
which was broken open and found TO
be smothered with gold. Mr.. STRAIT
ton says this was the only time he
became really excited. They pitched
their camp near the spring the next
day and began search for the lode
which had shed so rich a float Trench
es were dug. But Stratton had GER
tain preconceived ideas. like most of
us, and among them was the theory
that veins having n north-south trend
carried rich ores, therefore the trench
es were dug so as to cross the sup
posed strike of the veins. with the re-
suit as we now know of paralleling in
stead of cutting the lodes which exist
aI tharn and SirhSpuuantlv ho.o rno fbn
Legal Tender. Lille, Vindicator and
Christmas mines. Stratton and Trout
man found nothing.
An old ranchman. Billy Fernay by
name, happened along mt this time and
brought pieces of float that he had
found on the hill below now called
Battle Mountain. Stratton liked the
look of II and arranged with Fernay to
locate u claim in the names of STRAIT
ton, Troutman and himself. This was
the Black Diamond, now the most
southern part of the large territory
controlled by the Portland mine. Next
day Stratton went over to see the vein
and spent some time examining the
ground. He tried TO make the course
of the vein coincide with the line of
the ridge. running north and south.
This led him down the hill to big
outcrop of granite. which was the In
dependence lode. Many had already
seen II. as the path from one ranch
to another passed close by and all the
cattlemcn who had any idea of pros
pecting had examined the outcrop
Everyone had condemned 1t ms WORTH
less granite. Fernay pointed il out to
Stratton. and he also did as the others
had done: but not irretrievably.
The character of that now famous
lode cropping Is worthy of detailed de-
scriptlon. II was. indeed, granite. de.
composed especially ms 10 the mica,
but nevertheless unlike the granite
ores of other districts. such ms Gilpin