Gilpin observer., 1901-06-20
MARX TWAIN on MINES.

MARK TWAIN ON MINES.
So many stories are afloat in the daily
papers about lost mines and wonderful
new discoveries that it may not be out
of place to reprint some of Mark Twain's
remarks on the subject of rich gold de-
posits which originally appeared in a
California paper with which ne was con
nected. f .
II have just seen your dispatch in the
Saturday enening Post" wrote Mark,
''about gold in solution in Calistoga
Springs, and about the proprietor hav-
ing extracted 1000 ounces Of gold of the
finest from two barrels of water in the
past fortnight, by process known only
to himself. This will surprise many of
your readers but it does not surprise me,
for l once owned these things myself.
What does surprise though, is the fall
ing off OF the richness of the water. In
my time the yield was dollar dipper-
full. am not saying this to injure the
property in case sale is contemplated.
l am saying it in the interest of history.
1t may be that the hotel proprietor's
process is an inferior one. Yes, that
may be the fault. Mine was to take my
uncle Il had an extra one at that time
on account Of his parents dying and
leaving him on my hands, and fill him
up and let him stand for fifteen minutes
to give the water chance to settle.
Well, then inserted him in an exhaust
reservoir, which had the effect to draw
the gold out through his pores. 1 have
taken more than $1,000 out of that
man in less than day and half.
81 should have held on to those
springs only for the badness of the
roads and the difficulty in getting the
gold to market. consider that the
gold yielding water is in many respects
remarkable, and yet no more remarkable
than the gold, bearing air of Catgut can
on up there towards the head of the
auriferous range. This air, or wind, for
it is kind of trade wind which blows
steadily down sig hundred miles OF the
richest quartz groupings during an hour
and quarter every day except Sundays
is heavily charged with exquisitively fine
impalpable gold. Nothing precipitates
and solidifes this gold as quickly as con-
tact with human flesh when heated by
passion. The time that William Abra-
hams was disappointed in love he nsed
to sit out Of doors when the wind was
blowing and then came in again and be-
gan to sigh, and would extract dol
and a hall out Of each sigh. He sighed
right along and the time that John Har-
bison and Alex Norton had fight about
Harbison's dog they stood there swear
ing at each other. and they knew how
and what they didn't know about that
kind OF business they couldn't learn from
you or me, not by n good deal; and at
tho end OF every three or four minutes
they had to stop and declare a dividend
for il they diden't their jaws would clog
up SO as they couldent get big, nine.
silible words out at all, and when the
wind had stopped blowing they cleaned
up little over $1,000 apiece. l know
these facts to be true because got them
from man whose mothers SISTERS son
knew personally. do not suppose a
person could got the water right at any
price now, but there several locations
along the course of the Catgut canon
gold bearing trade winds for sale. They
are going to be stocked for the New
York market. They will sell, too; peo.
pie will swarm for them as thick Us
Hancock veterans in tho South.
"MARR TWAIN"