The St. Johns herald., 1901-09-21
A CASE OF BLIND LUCK.
German Cook Whose Feet Gave Ont
 Struck It Rich.

Germau LOOK HOSC CCI OA~
 Struck It Rich.
 Blind luck is the most remarkable thing" said an old mechanic to Wash ington Star reporter. Tn 1854, with a party of other young men belonging in Washington, started out to California to find gold. On our arrival there we learned of the great finds on the Frazer River in British Columbia, which ere ated as much excitement as the gold fever in California, and our party de cided to go there. There were seven of us in the party, all of us gOod-look ing. but it turned out that was the only thing in our favor and it did not help us much. While in San Francisco a young German, dishwasher in a res taurant, who knew of our intention to go up into British Columbia, asked to join the party. His only recommends tion was that he could cook and was willing to do so. He was about the ugliest-looking young man that any or us had ever seen. His face reSemDled that of sheep, and was entirely devoid of intelligence. We needed a cook and consented to take him along. The trip was made during the winter and much of it was on the snow. Finally arrived at the gold fields and began prospect ing under the most difficult circum- stances. Our cook became foOtsore and it was impossible for him to walk a step farther and we decided that we would have to drop him on the road to do the best he could for himself. It was rought to have to desert him, but there was no way out of it. We built him a log hut, cut great quantity of wood and left him as much provisions as we could spare out of our store and then bade him good-by. He thanked us for our kindness in providing for him as we'll as we did and said be would be willing to take his chances of get ting out of the country. His feet had swollen so that he could not wear shoes, and for over a week before we left him he had worn moccasins made out of gunny sacks. He spent the rest of the winter there, but we went on. AS the fire in his hut melted off the snow he found that it was located on a pile of rock. Needing some of the rock to re- construct his chimney, he by accident or luck discovered that the rock was particularly heavy, but he had sense enough to keep the discovery to him. self Several times during the winter parties passed by and provisioned him. In the spring he located claim imme- diately under his hut and set out his stakes. A few weeks afterward party of Englishmen came along and very gladly paid him $500O0 for his claim and besides gave him a tenth interest in it. Before he left there he had a bank account of over $150,000. He is living to-day and owns real estate, in- cluding hotel, in San Francisco, which is valued at about $400,000. What became of the party? Oh, noth- ing. We kept on prospecting until our supplies and money ran out, and then, when the cold weather ended, we were glad enough to reach San Francisco, where most of the party got work at our trades and in time managed to get back to Washington. They are all dead now except our cook and myself. Though am 75 years of age, am still at work at my trade, house painting and vanishing. am good-looking yet, my grandchildren say, but I would have preferred the luck of the sheep faced man."