Sierra County advocate., 1904-05-20
INDIANA GOLD MINES.
Hydraulic Mining on a Large Scale
Is Now Under Way.
Operations Have Cnused n Panic
Among Grizzly Recluses who
Have Bsen Panning Out the
yellow Metal.

For hundred years or more II has
been known that there was gold back
in the hills of the Indiana counties,
says writer In the st. Louis Globe
Democrat, and for over half century
a 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 90 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 II 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.
II 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 GOO 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 II 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 a square yard,
and there the water rates nre high.
r. l.. Royse who has brought about
the present development, became con-,
vinced three years ago that there was'
gold in the Indiana hills that would
cause national sensation II Il was ever
handled by improved nr.thods. For
over three years he has been prospect
ing In the hills. and here and there has
been picking out tracts Of lnnd thnt
showed good tests. He now has $500
ncres 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, mistaking u
for grains of wheat or corn, and, be-
ing heavy. the gold had lodged in their
craws. Mrs George johnson. who lives
lust across the river from the city OF
Nartiusville, killed a duck that had
picked up It's dinners along the little
stream that ran through the barn lot.
She cleaned up the craw OF The FOWL ana
netted s2.10. william Boutwell,. who
lives seven miles from Martinsville,
killed chicken, that netted him 20
cents. A farmer near Martinsviile
killed A duck that was vcritable hlon-
dixie.
The hydraulic operations have caused
n papie among the grizzly recluses who
have been pnnning the gold. They are
n quaint lot, with queer names. Inc
king of their camps is 40-year-oid,
wild-ayed. red bearded man who can
neither read nor write and who Is
known as Wild Bill Stafford lie is
kirg because he is known all over the
oold fields as the man TINT found the
$40 NUGGET and that drank rs schoon-
orc NJ bper IN one day without getting
drunk. Elll. ms rule. operates ~ 'noid
creek holler" He cleans up three DOL
1,re y dnv when he works steadily.
! "ol. Man Moon l. Brown county
uosher "Old Man Jim Stanley who
operates around in Highland holler'
nut his name into the history OF the
gold digpings. By finding q 5000 dih-
nond vl,icb was sold in he indiannpo-
lie market. Quite a iiumher OF large
diamonds md q number ~ valuable ru-
bies have, been found. "rld Man stan
lev" has beer washing gold IN the hills
fnr oyer ~ wears ard has raised big
family. "Rilf Merrman is the patri-
arch Of the section. He won't permit
a stranger to get within half mile OF
rim 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
r,,s raeter 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 great deal OF dirt In the Indiana
hills that will run over one dollar a
ward. He saws that with the latest de-
vices dirt can be handled now that runs
only four cents yard at big profit.
State Geologlst Blatchley holds to
the theory that the gold was brought
down by the glaciers. II is found where
the glaciers from Hudson bay ended
and deposited great banks of conglom-