Lincoln County record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1900-1905, 1902-03-28
PROSPECTING RsmlNsoFNcEs

The following communication by
j. b. Tolley, appears in the Tuscar-
ora Times Review and will be of
interest
In the fall of 1850 two prospectors
going through the mountains, some
whore in the southern mines of CAL
.ifornia, pitched their camp one even
ing on the boarders Of a little stream
Of clear, rparkliag water, which
came prattlis iaseiug down,
lonking as aweei aud innocent as a
sleeping baby's smile.
just before dawn in the morning
great cloud burst up about the
mountains crest and sent a food
down the canyon in which one Of
the prospectors was caught and
hurled to his death in the turbulent
yellow rush of waters.
As soon as there was sufficient
light for the purpose, the partner is
distress, sought for, found and re-
moved the remains to bench or bar
at the canyons van and there, while
digging a grave in which to bury his
late mate unearthed a fifty pound
nugget Of yellow gold. Truly it is
an i'll wind that blows no good.
Again, in the early fifties, young
Frenchman wandering through the
bigg hill of ElDorado stumbled up
on nugget worth $4,000. The
poor fellow was so much elated
over his unexpected find that be
went raving mad and died in the
asylum short time thereafter. True
tits, that great and unexpected JOY
sometimes defeats it purpose and
kills its victim.
But short time since, so the
papers had it. woman running
through the brush after fat swine
which had escaped from its pen,
stumbled, and in falling, clutched
at and tore off piece OF quartz
from the reef of rocks which on in
spection proved to be yellow with
gold, and the place of the lucky find
is known as Swinerton, to this day.
Other instances Of unexpected
pickups might be mentioned, but
the above are sufficient for the pur-
pose of this letter.
There are many kinds ofprospect-
ors, and they may have many ways
of prospecting funny, serious,
scientific and practical. l shall men
ton only few of them.
See, there goes man forward
and back over there on the hillside.
He holds in his hands a forked stick
and is dowsing for gold. He may
have patch on his knee and patch
on his back, but however often he
may have been disappointed he be-
lieves in his stick.
There goes another man all latter
ed and torn, and he seems to be run
ming after his outstretched hand,
prancing back and forth as if poss-
essed, now this way and that way,
up and down, in short he is a spirit
ualist in search of hidden wealth.
And Notwithstanding that he too is
often disappointed, he has faith in
spirits.
All right, boys, if you, by such
methods, can induce others to dig
and will dig yourselves, you may ge'
there by and by
Now ] see we'll clad man going
carefully up the mountain. He hat
hammer OF light pick in his hano
and seems to be tracing indication
--as experts are supposed to do
He does not dig, but then yo'
know he can make out report an'
may stimulate prospecting that way
Now then, there goes practica
miner, equipped for about in tn
mountains, and he means to sta
with it if it takes all summer. II
is Woodworking, paintaking mar
knows gold when he sees it, and b
it is who finds new mining camp
and sets men agog for the new l
Dorado.
There is a parasite--but as he
well known in all mining camps,
shall let him slip for the present.