Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-09-18

III TIC Cits VI DOStOu has just USell
received by Daniel G. Wing, vice
president of the Massachusetts
National bank. formerly receiver OF
the Globe bank. says the Boston
Journal. It is solid chunk of pure
gold and was unearthed two or three
weeks ago in the Breckenridge dis
trict of Colorado. Nothing equal to
this specimen has ever before been
found in Colorado placer mines, and
Mr.. Wing very naturally is proud to
be the owner Of such a valuable
souvenir. This lump of precious
metal is worth at the United States
mint just $499.S2, but as a matter e.
fact it is worth somewhat more than
its weight in gold as a curiosity.
The nugget escaped the notice of
the man who dug it out of the soil,
and the man who shoveled the heavy
lump into the sluice was entirely
ignorant of the fact that he had
handled $500 worth of gold in one lit,
of his spade The soil clinging to
the nugget hid its glittering yellow
and it went thump into the swift
water of the fiume.
A young man who not long ago
went from an eastern farm to try the
hardships of miners life was work
ing mechanically at the fiume, AM
thinking in homesick way of his
former quiet, rustic life among tn.
green hills of old Vermont. His re-.
Elections had brought the tears to lis
eyes and he stumbled along at his
work in half-hearted way when the
CLINT of yellow caught his eye. he
thrust his hand into the water, arG
to his great establishment drew out a
been seen in those diggings. Tie
old home vanished from his mind all
visions of wealth came to him in :.
Hood that completely obliterated hi.
dreams of the old farm.
The excitement of discovering !, a
large gold nugget is not less than
that of finding valuable diamond,
and its effect on the miners is WI
derful exhilaration Human passion,
resulting in romance, tragedy or
robbery. is not infrequently associat-
ed with the discovery of famous mug
gets, just as with diamonds.
The Oliver Martin nugget, the
largest ever found in California, was
unearthed by dissipated young man,
little better than tramp, while dig
ging a grave in which to bury his
comrade, who had been drowned
while lying drunk in the bottom of a
narrow canyon. Martin had been
caught in the same flood which
brought death to his companion, but
escaped. Later, securing pick and
shovel, he selected a sandy spot at
the base of cliff and started to dig
a grave. He had not dug down two
feet when he came upon the nugget
Martin considered that his find and
the peculiar circumstances attending
it was an act OF providence, and he
never touched liquor afterward.
Later he went to Yucatan. where he
made more than half a million i'll
sold for s22 700 after it had earned
$4,000 from its exhibition in various
parts of the country.
A few years ago consumptive
seeking health in the mountains near
San Diego, CAL. while hunting for
Indian relics, stumbled over nugget
which he sold for $3.50.
Dan Hill. famed as finder of mug
gets and drinker of whisky. was
looking over an abandoned placer
mine in Nevada, and seeing nothing
of value went to a brook to wash his
hands. There in the running water
lay nugget of gold and quartz near
ly as big as his head
Among the exhibits in the mining
department at the Worlds fair was
nugget found by Mrs. Harry E. Ellis
in the mountains of Alpine county,
California. where she and her hus-
band lived because the latter suffered
from lung trouble. A miner who fell
i'll at the Ellis cabin was nursed back
to health by the Ellises, and out of
gratitude told them where they could
find gold-bearing gravel. One after
noon as Mrs Ellis was driving home
the family COW she was seeking
stones TO throw for the amusement
of the dog She saw in the coarse
gravel a dark yellow stone.
Il knew the moment | picked it
up she said. that | had found gold,
because it was so heavy. but as had
never seen a real nugget | was afraid
my husband would laugh at me-"
The nugget is very clear and about
the size of a croquet ball, but very
rough and battered by rolling and
tumbling in water for centuries.
Mrs. Ellis got over $4,000 for this find.
A nugget worth s4.672.50 was found
at Remington Hill. Cal. in 1856. On
one side it was fat and rough, while
the rest was smooth and rounded,
which led to the belief that another
section might be found. Two years
later man engaged in drifting out
pay dirt announced unexpectedly one
day that he was going to leave. He
was paid eff and departed. After he
had gone one of the owners of the
mine said: 1T is strange that the
fellow should all at once quit work
,-hxr@ 10 c+a ioh of