Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-10-25

IN quick succession, We're buried where
they fell. Finally, the survivors scant
stores We're exhausted and no water
could be found. Within d month The
party was reduced TO four men. There
was no chance for retreat, and. though
dying by inches, the survivors pressed
on forward and southwest.
One night while camping near ],
rocky ledge George Dennis discovarai
that the sight on the muzzle Of his
rifle had been in some way loosened
and lost. Searching for sometime
with which to replace it he noticed =
whitish metallic substance in the rock
close at hand. and, securing a piece of
it. he speedily Whitfield out and fitted
into his rifle clumsy substitute for
the lost sight. The following morning.
without particularly noticing the To-
cality of the camp, the four men re-
sumed their journey. Two. of them.
falling by the way. died during the fol-
lowing week. and only two survivors Of
the party finally reached settlement
in the San Bernardino Valley. Here
the gunsight which the amateur gun
smith had carved in the desert at
tracted the attention of an old miner.
who at once pronounced it pure native
silver, and eagerly inquired where it
had been found. Dennis told how it
had come into his possession, but could
give only scanty information as to the
locality Of the ledge from which ii had
been taken. A careful computation of
the number Of miles probably covered
by the unfortunate men, together with.
n reckoning of the number of days they
had wandered after leaving the camp.
enabled general idea to be formed of
the probable location of the ledge. A
prospecting party was at once organ
lied. and a careful search was made
for what has ever since been known as
the Gunsight Ledge. but failure at
tended the effort. Every year from
1854 till now some men have gone in
search of the silver gunsight. Only Il
few weeks ago "A party of three pro-
spectors started out from the desert
town of Barstow. Cal. to follow what
they believed was a sure trail To the
long and dearly sought Gunsight Mine
of Death Valley.
The Colorado desert, in the extreme
southern part of California, and the
mountains on the boundary between
iIll AhCAASOs hatC DCCh
secured annually for more than 30
years by adventurous gold-seekers in
quest of the Peg-Leg Mine. No lost
mine, after the Gunsight, is more ia
nous than the Peg-Leg. Once every
few years the mining population of the
coast is excited by the news that the
lost Peg-Leg has been found again.
Even now there are parties of miners
prospecting for some indication that
will show the location of the rich ledge
that Peg-Lcg Smith found years ago.
A drunken. rOllicking Eold-miner, John
Q. Smith, who was known as Peg
Leg" Smith because Of a wooden peg
that ne wore in place of leg, came
into Los Angeles in July of 1868 with
his camp outfit and his mules laden
with several sacks of gold ore. The
rock was assayed by mining experts
in the place. and the news quickly
spread that 'Peg-Leg" Smith had ore
that ran all the way from $3.50 to $500
a ton. OF course the whole country
in and about what was then the little
Mexican town of Los Angeles was soQri
wildly excited at the news of the find
of a mire that yielded such ore. Moth
ing like it had ever been found south
of AmadOr county. ht
"Peg-Leg" Smith was a curious,
taciturn kind of a fellow. and it was
several weeks before he could be in
duced to say a word as to where he got
his ore and the quantity there was of
such rock When at last he did say
something about his discovered treas
ure he refused to give more than u
vague idea of where his claim was
situated. He said however, that it was
down across the Colorado Desert, in
the mountain range in San Diego
county. and that until he knew whether
this mine was situated in the United
States or Mexico he must keep that
part Il secret to himself.
lie said that he had spent five months
in the locality of this mine with two
half-bfeed Pima Indians. who had
guided him there in payment for kind
ness he had rendered them in serious
illness. He told again and again, and
always with rare eXactness of detail
the surface indications of his mine, the
direction and slant of the collaborating
lodges. and the surrounding geological
and mineral conditions and character
istics. "Peg-Le said he was conf
dent there was as much gold ore in his
claim as in Mackay, Fair and Floods
Comstock hedges in Nevada, and every
miner who questioned and cross-ques-
toned him day after day made the
same estimate from the old pros
pector's statements. Probably $4,000
600 or $50, $4,000 was i'm the mines.
Early in September 'Peg-Leg' Smith
turned up missing in Los Angeles. and
the news came across the country a
week or two later from San Bernariino
that he had been there and hastily and
secretly fitted OUT for a camp of sew
eral months in the mountains and a
mule ride across the desert. He had.
at the last moment, taken two old min |
ing chilms with him and set out in the |
night. Ii il almost impossible to track |
a man across a desert Of ever-shifting
sand, SO the several thousand men who |
had made up their minds and prepared |
themselves TO follow "Peg-Leg' Smith |
to his treasure find We're forced To
await the next appearance OF the old |
fellow in public. From the time that |
.Peg-Leg" and his companions set out |
from San Bernardino absolutely Moth |
ing has ever been heard from the pros
pector. Several years later the dried |
and mummy-like remains of the two |