The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1901-03-30
WEALTH IN A COUGARS DEN.
Rich Discovery OF Two Prospectors
I'm the Mountains OF the
Northwest

One OF the most remarkable stories
In the history of this district has
just come to light through the mel
time prospector who, for the past ten
years, has spent most of his time
hunting for. big game and precious
metals in the mountains OF the north
fork Of Kettle river, reports the Min
neapolis Journal. In the late fall he
arrived In town with companion
who had broken and badly lacer-
atcd leg. According TO their reports
the injuries were caused by a prema.
ture blast in a prospect on which
they were doing assessment work,
but the story told by the prospector
while in garrulous mood induced by
conyiviality connects the accident
with n romance which was almost .
tragedy.
IL appears that the two were fol-
lowing the fresh tracks of cougar
in the newly fallen snow, and after
several hours of trailing were con-
Quoted to the mouth of an old ADAM
doned tunnel. the existence Of which
was unknown to them, or, for that
matter, to anyone in this country.
The snow at the mouth of the tunnel
was beaten down by. cougar tracks,
and men with more caution would
have hesitated before disturbing
what was undoubtedly lair of these
dangerous animals. After short
conference, however, the hunters
decided to take the risk, and adj
vanced into the dark passage abreast
and with their rifles ready for in
slant use.
After penetrating distance ap-
proximately $50 feet they heard a
rustic farther down the tunnel, ac-
companied by ominous snarling and
growing. At the same instant they
deserted numerous sets of eyes glow
ling through the darkness. Both
raised their rifles and fired. and i'm
stantly beat a retreat, but before
they had run ten steps both were
thrown down by the rush of animals
attempting to escape. They were
temporarily stunned, and, as the pros
pector expressed IL, BADLY ratified"
so that before they could gain the
open air they were set upon by one
of the cougars which they had
wounded. The Infatuated animal
seized one of them by the leg and
crushed the bone as il 10 had been
paper tube. The injured man faint
ed, but his companion threw himself
upon the cougar and finished him
with hunting knife. He then
dragged his friend to the tunnel
mouth and revived him with snow.
Night was approaching and they
decided to camp in the tunnel, know
ing that n fire at its mouth would
prevent the cougars from molesting
them. The uniniurcd man washed
his friends wounds and bandagcd
them with strips torn from his shirt.
He cut n number of splints from
saplings and bound them tight with
stout cord, without which no hunter
ever goes into the hills. After a
supper of jerked venison he took n
brand from the fire and went back
into the tunnel to investigate the
result of their encounter with the
cougars. Passing over the dead body
of one he had killed with the knife,
he continued to the breast of the
tunnel. There he found another
cougar which was shot between the
eyes and instantly killed. While ex-
aiming this game he noticed that
the light from his torch was reflected
by peculiar glitter in the breast of
the tunnel, and also among the
broken rocks which lay on the floor.
Some of these. he gathered up and
took back TO the fire. There he verb
fed his b. lief that the gathering was
caused by particles of free gold
scattered through the rock in such
profusion as to render il fabulously
rich.
The hunters entered into a solemn
compact never to return TO the find
alone, but to share IL equally. They
passed an uncomfortable night physi-
cally, but their sufferings werc
alleviated by visions of untold wealth.
In the morning n sledge was inn
provised and on this the injured man
reclined, while his companion with i'm
finite toll dragged HIM slowly toward
travel in this manner nearly twenty
five miles ~ Hammock City, at the end
OF the wagon road north of Grand
Forks. There n wagon was secured
and in three hours the fractured limb
was under doctors care.
This accident and discovery oc-
Cured IN November. Meanwhile the
injured man had gone for special
treatment to Spokane and his partner
has kept strict silence, awaiting the
time when both could return to tho
mine. But the holiday celebration
loosened his tongue and the town is
agog with excitement over his dis
closur-
Who were tho original discoveries
of this bonanza will probably never
be known. The prcspector who gives