Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1904-09-14
LLOYD'S LUCK.


00n HEN Lloyd's father told him
w that he had sold the farm, and
that they were going to spend
the summer camping out, Lloyd was
very much delighted. His father and
two other men had formed a partner
ship and were going to spend the sum.
mer in mining. They bought their pro.
visions and mining outfit, and loading
them In two wagons, they started.
Lloyd's father and mother, with Lloyd
and the provisions, were In one wag-
on; in the other were the two partners,
with the picks. shovels, gold pans and
the lumber for sluice boxes and rock
ers.
When, after several days travelling.
they arrived at the place where they
intended to mine, the men cut down
some trees, and In the course of q week
built a log cabin. They had planned
to work placer claim" 1t had been
mined long ago. when gold was first
discovered in California, but not very
thoroughly. Lloyd liked to watch the
men shovel the dirt into the sluice box.
es and see the swift muddy water wash
the rocks and coarse gravel out at the
other end. They found the dirt" was
not very rich, and some days when
they made Cleanup" they would
find very small quantity Of gold dust
In their rifles, less than half an ounce
for whole days run.
Lloyd soon grew tired Of watching
the men work; he wished to do some
mining all by himself; so his father.
one evening after his own work. made
him little rocker out Of the thin light
boards Of dry goods box. and every
day Lloyd would play he was a miner.
Finally he carried his rocker up the
stream nearly quarter Of a mile
above where his father was working.
One of the men had called to him,
Hello. rocker. where are you going
with that boy7"
Lloyd looked back and said, Were
going up the creek to find a claim Of
our own"
swell, 60 ahead, and good luck to
you" they called after him.
Lloyd did not find much :.'color"
along the creek, 80 he carried his rock.
er up a dry gulch that led into that
stream.
Next day Lloyd dug till his hands
were blistered and his back ached. He
had been digging a hole where the
ground was wet and soggy, SO that he
could get water to rock with. When
he went back next morning he found
that the hole was nearly full Of muddy
water that had seeped In from the
spring. There was enough water to
run the rocker for some time
In one place at the lowest part of
the gulch. near where his rocker was
set, a rock cropped out q few inches.
He did not know 1t at the time, but
he had gone to the best place possible.
A few inches below the surface he
struck bedrock. 1t was quite irregular.
He took his shovel and scraped the
rock, piling the gravel beside his rock.
er. He threw a shovelful Of dirt into
the hopper. dipped up some water and
started to rock. When the dirt and
gravel had washed through the hopper,
he lifted 1t OF to throw away the
coarser gravel and rocks that would
not pass through the holes In the sheet
iron bottom Of the hopper. A he did
90 he noticed q pretty rock he had
thrown out 1t was white. with yellow
streaks in It. He found several more
pieces, and put them In his pocket to
ask his father what they were He
did not know that he had found some
very rich gold quarts. but when he
lifted up the hopper and saw q line Of
yellow along both Of the hhles on the
upper apron. he was enough Of q miner
to know that he had found rich pay
dirt. The gold dust was coarse. some
Of 1t being ~ large a. grains Of rice.
He went to the camp and got q gold
pan 70 that he could clean up the
rocker.
That night, when the men came to
supper. Lloyd's mother said to her hus-
band:
"well. how did you do to-day? Did
you have a good clean-upr
Lloyd's father sighed and said: mo,
little woman: l am sorry to say that
our pay dirt IL running out. am
afraid we made q mistake In not stick
ing to the farm"
swell, Lloyd. how did your cleanup
turn out?" his father asked?
Lloyd brought out the gold pan and
the pretty rocks, and handed them to
his father When the men caught sight
Of the coarse gold dust and nuggets in
the pan, and the pieces Of rich gold
quartz, you should have heard them
shout.
"where did you nnd thaty they ex-
citedly asked. "Come and show u.s."
And without waiting for supper they
started for the place. Lloyd could hard.
Iy keep up with them. they walked 70
fast.
When they got to hn rocker Lloyd
showed them where he had shoveled
up his dirt. Taking his pick. bis father
struck the rock that cropped up In the
bottom Of the gulch. He picked up a
fragment that was broken on and look.
Cd at It It was quarts heavily veined