St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-03-08
TYPICAL OF HUNT FOR COLD.
A Camp Cooks Stirring Story About
a Clearing Tree in an Ari-
coma Desert.

During the summer of 1895 I had
been on a prospecting trip through
tbe deserts and mountains of central
and western Arizona. which termin-
ated in Yuma county, where disposed
| of nv burros, and, accompanying a
freighter, started for Congress Jet via
the Bonanza mine in the Harqua Hala
mountains, Harrisburg and Cullen's
We'll saws a writer in the Los Angeles
Times.
had been asleep in the bottom OF
the freight wagon, but the heat grew
81 intense that I was awakened, and
sitting up noticed the yucca tree with
the letters B. T. cut in the bark, and
near by there was an old camp ground
strewn with rusty tin cans. The or
binary observer might not have no.
ticed the tree, but as l have followed
surveying I recognized the yucca as
clearing tree of some survey, ana
was surpriseda at seeing it, as supposed
the country never had been surveyed.
On arriving at Congress Junction,
station on the Santa Fe, Prescott q
Phoenix railroad, / found the agent
to he friend, and as at that tune
there was no place of accommodation
there but the railroad section house,
he invited me to share his quarters
until the train for Prescott arrived
next morning.
While enjoying cigars after supper
was giving nv friend history Of my
trip, and incidentally mentioned hav-
ing seen the bearing tree, when with
an interest greater than he had before
shown, he said:
"Did YOU notice signs OF an old camp
ground anywhere about there?
ayes. not more than 100 yards from
the bearing tree. Why?
"Well, there were three men here
who were looking for yucca bearing
tree near an old camp ground. They
spent three weeks in the search, leav-
ing here with enough water on their
wagon for, one nights dry camp and
returning every second night for wa
ter. After three weeks search with
out finding the tree, they gave it up.
and went away, only about month
ago.
"Why were they so anxious to find
that tree?" I said.
"Well, it's like this" my friend re-
piled. zone of the three men had been
a cook with the surveying party who
marked that tree; the other two were
employees of the Wells-Fargo Express
company in San Francisco whom he
had interested in his tale, and who
were bearing the expenses of the
search. It seems that the cook, ac-
cording to his story, had been with
the surveyors all through their trip
The party were accustomed to leave
camp early every morning and not re-
turn until night, and as the cook had
but little to do during the middle of
the day, he used to prospect around
among the hills, within walking dis
tance of camp, and it was while they
were camped near this bearing tree
that he found the wonderful rich gold
mine, and he wanted to find that camp
ground, claiming that it he could only
have that place starting point
he could find the mine"
"How rich did he say the mine was?'
I asked.
1AN huN W notAIAS dUOub OnV
he said that with only case knife he
pried out over $40 worth of gold from
the rock"
''Gee whiz!'' I exclaimed; "if he
found such bonanza as that. why did
he not locate it or stay with it %
"Well, there were several reasons
To begin with the cook was a green
Englishman who had only been in
this country short time, and he
was afraid to tell anything about
what he had found, or to show his
gold, fearing that the rest of the
party would rob him of both gold
and claim; so he kept the whole mat
ter secret, intending to come back
afterwards; but it was several years
before he got around to it. The way
he happened to come back now was
this: He had drifted to San Fran
cisco, and was there dead broke,
when he happened to mention what
he had found in Arizona to an ac-
quaintance, an express driver, who
told the two men that came down
here with him. He told them that,
with the bearing tree as starter,
he could go right to the ledge, and
he had no doubt about being able to
find the bearing tree; but as I told
you, they spent three weeks look
ing for it.
'Now, if you can only get track
of these three men, my friend con-
tinued, "they would probably let you
in on it, If you showed them the
lost camp. Do you think you could
find it again."
'Most assuredly can"
SWELL, I'll try and reach them, and
and let you know
The next morning I left for Pres
colt.
When in Congress Junction again
found that my friend had gone to
Oregon or Washington, and / never
heard from him again. On two occa-
sions 1 went out to the lost camp
and searched the nearest hills for
gold, though with no success: and I
would greatly like to know if the
cook really did find gold as he de-
scribed, or if he made the whole
tale out of his imagination.
Quick Death from Snake Bite.
To Illustrate the quickness with
which death comes from the bite If