Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-12-26
A FORTUNE UNEXPECTEDLY.
Prospector Unable to Keep Up With
ID EinHn CALI

His Party Finds Gold.
l"Blind luck is the most remarkable
thing" said an old mechanic to Star
reporter. "In 1854, with party of
other young men belonging in Wash
ington, I started out to California to
find gold. On our arrival there we
learned of the great finds on the Fra
ger River in British Columbia. which
created as much excitement as the
gold fever in California, and our
party decided to go there. There
were seven of us in the party, all of
us good looking, but it turned uot
that was the only thing in our favor,
and it did not help us much. While
in San Francisco a young German,
dishwasher in restaurant, who knew
of our intention to go up into British
Columbia, asked to join the party.
His only recommendation was that he
could cook and was willing to do so.
He was about the ugliest looking
young man that any of us had ever
seen. His face resembled that of
sheep, and was entirely devoid OF in
telligence We needed a cook and
consented to take him along. The
trip was made during the winter, and
much of it was on the snow. Finally
we arrived at the gold fields and be-
gan prospecting under the most diff
cult circumstances. Our cook be
came footsoore and it was impossible
for him to walk a step farther, and
we decided that we would have to
drop him on the road to do the best
he could for himself. 1t was rough
to have to desert him, but there was
no way out of it. We built him
log hut, cut a great quantity of wood
and left him as much provisions as
we could spare out of our store and
then babe him goodbye. He thanked
us for our kindness in providing for
him as we'll as we did and said he
would be willing to take his chances
of getting out of the country. His
feet had swollen so that he could not
wear shoes, and for over week be-
fore we left him he had worn mecca
sins made out of gunny sacks. He
spent the rest of the. winter there,
but We went on. AS the fire in his
hut melted off the snow. he found
that it was located on pile of rock.
Needing some of the rock to recon
struct his chimney, he by accident or
luck discovered that the rock was
particularly heavy, but he had sense
- RI
self Several times during the win
ter parties passed by and provision
ed him. In the spring he located a
claim Immediately under his hut and
set out his stakes. A few weeks
afterward a party of Englishmen came
along and very gladly paid him $780,
900 for his claim and besides gave
him tenth interest in it. Before he
left there he had bank account OF
over $150,000. He is living today and
owns real estate, including hotel, in
San Francisco, which is valued at
about 100000. What became of the
party? Oh, nothing. We kept on
prospecting until our supplies and
money ran out, and then, when the
cold weather ended, we were glad
enough to reach San Francisco, where
the most of the party got work at
our trades and in time managed to
get back to Washington. They are
all dead now except our cook and
myself Though I am seventy-five
years of age, l am still at work at
my trade, house painting and varnish-
ing. 1 am good looking yet, my grand
children say, but I would have pre-
ferred the luck of the sheep-faced
man. "-Washington Star.