The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-12-22
INDIANA GOLD MINES.
Hydraulic Mining on a Large Scale
Is Now Under Way.
Operations Have Caused "a Panic
Among Grizzly Refuses who
Have Been Planning Out the
yellow Metal.

been known that there was gold bach
in the hills of the Indiana counties,
says a writer in the st. Louis Globe.
Democrat. and for over half a century
queer lot of illiterate, grizzly recluses
have been washing gold back in the
hills, making from one dollar to two
dollars day. The gold that they
brought in to market occasionally in
little bags and in phials passed assay
in the government mint on an equality
with Snake river gold, the finest stand
ard in the United States. 1t remained
for an old California miner, who came
east two months ago for his firm, to
open up the first hydraulic gold mine in
the state.
1t is located in Morgan county,
north of Martinsville, the county seat.
1t is small affair, compared with those
in the west that tear down banks 400,
500 and 600 feet high, but it is capable
of thoroughly developing the 50-foot
hills in which the gold is lodged along
the hill streams of Morgan, Brown and
Johnson counties.
The first cleanup on the hydraulic
mine has not yet been made, but it is
confidently expected that it will run 40
cents yard. Such panning out would
mean that Indiana would Immediately
blossom forth as one of the greatest
gold mining states in the union. In
most of the California placer mining
camps dirt is being worked that
yields only ten cents square yard,
and there the water rates are high.
Il. J.. Royse. who has brought about
the present development, became con
WINGED three years ago that there was
gold in the Indiana hills that would
cause n national sensa ton if it was ever
handled by improved methods. For
over three years he has been prospect
ing in the hills, and here and there has
been picking out tracts Of land that
showed good tests. He now has $500
acres under his absolute control and
has supervision over 5000 or 5000 more
acres.
The chickens and ducks of the gold
hills picked the gold up, installing it
for grains of wheat or corn. and. be-
ing heavy, the gold had lodged in their
craws. Mrs. George johnson. who lives
Just across the river from the city of
Martinsville, killed duck that had
picked up its dinners along the little
stream that ran through the barn lot,
She cleaned up the craw of the fowl and
netted $2.10. William Boutwell,. who
lives seven miles from Martinsvile.
killed chicken that netted him 30
cents. farmer near Martinsville
killed duck that was veritable Klon
dixie.
The hydraulic operations have caused
a panic among the grizzly recluses who
have been panning the gold, They are
a quaint lot. with queer names. The
king of their camps is a 4o-year-old,
wild-eyed, red-bearded man who can
neither read nor write and who is
known as Wild Bill Stafford" He is
king because he is known all over the
gold fields as the man that found the
$t2 nugget and that drank rs schoon-
ers of beer in one day without getting
drunk Bill, as rule, operates in Gold
creek holler." He cleans up three dol
lars day when he works steadily.
"Old Man Moon" is Brown county
washer. "Old Man Jim Stanley" who
operates around in "Highland holler."
put his name into the history of the
gold diPgings by finding a 5000 dia-
mond. which was sold in the Tndianapo-
lis market. Quite number of large
diamonds and number of valuable ru-
hies have been found. "Old Man Stan
ley" has been washing gold in the hills
for over 40 years and has raised big
family. "Bill' Merriman is the patri-
arch of the section. He won't permit
a stranger to get within a half mile of
him. so secretive is he concerning his
operations.
Taylor. the California miner who
built the hydraulic mine and the fumes,
says the Indiana dirt is of the same
character that is found in California,
except that there is no cement in it,
which makes the operation in Califor-
MIA so costly. He thinks that there
is n great deal of dirt in the Indiana
hills that will run over one dollar a
yard. He says that with the latest de-
vices dirt can be handled now that runs
only four cents yard at a big profit.
State Geologist Blatchley holds to
the theory that the gold was brought
down by the glaciers. 1t is found where
the glaciers from Hudson bay ended
and deposited great banks of conglom-
arafa