Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1904-07-28
INDIANA GOLD MINES.
Hydraulic Mining on a Large Scale
Is Now Under Way.
Operations Have Caused Panic
Among Grizzly Recluses Who
Have Been PaDning Outthe
Yellow Metal.

For hundred years or more it has
been known that there was gold back
in the hills of the Indiana counties
Saws writer in the ST. Louis Globe
u queer lot of illiterate. grizzly recuses
have been washing gold back in the
hills, making from one dollar to two
Collars a day. The gold that they
brought in to market occasionally in
ss'ie bags and in phials passed assay
fH the government mint on an equality
gFith Snake river gold. the finest stand
ard in the United States. 1t remained
for an old California miner, who came
aast two months ago for his firm. to
open up the first hydraulic gold mine in
shc state.
il is located in Morgan county,
worth Of Nartinsville. the county seat.
1t = a small fair. compared with those,
N The west that tear down banks 400,
SOC and Geo feet high hut it is CAPABLE
II thoroughly developing the 50-foot
hills in which the pold is lodged along
fhe hin streams Of Morgan, Brown and
Johnson counties.
Che first cleanup on the hydraulic
mine has not yet been made. but it is
confidently expected that L will run 40
GEMS ward. Such a pannj'r~ out would
mean that Indiana wou'5 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 are high.
r. T. Rovse, who has brought about
the present development, became con-
Njnced three years go th2t there was
gold i'm the Trdtara bills that would
cause national sensation if It was ever
handled ny improved methods, For
over three y5Grs he has been prospect
ing IN the hills. and here and there has
been ';~lt~~ cut tracts of land that
showed poc3 +ests He now has $500
acres under lis absolute control and
has supervision over 5000 or 5000 more
acres.
The chickens and ducks Of the gold
h.'ls picked the gold up, installing it
Tor grains Of wheat or corn, and. be-
ing heavy. the gold had lodged in their
craws. Mrs George Johnson. who lives
ius1 across the river from the city of
Nar9insville. killed a duck that had
Wicked up its dinners along the little
stream that ran through the barn lot.
-,he cleaned up the craw Of the fowl and
ref1ed $40 William Boutwell,, who
lives seven miles from Martinsville.
hined a chicken that netted him 80
sents. a farmer near Martinsvllle
KILLED a duck that was a veritable klon-
dixie.
The hydraulic operations have caused
n panic among the grizzly recluses who
nave been panninG tho gold, They are
n Quaint lot with queer names. The
king of their camps is a 40-year-Old !
>vild-eved, red-bearded man who cam
neither read nor write and who is
known as Wild Pill Stafford" He is
}inu because he is known all over the
rold fields as the man that found the
80 nugget and that drank rs schoon-
,.rx of beer in one day without getting
drank. B1l, as rule, operates in Cold
creek holler." He cleans up three dol
;ars a day when he works steadily
"Old Man Moon" is Brown county
washer. "Old MAJ jim Stanley whC
,,rerates around in "Highland holler, ,"
mt his name into the history of the
gold diggings, by finding a 5000 dia-
mnnd, which was sold in the lndianapo-
lis market. Quite a number OF large
diamonds and a number Of valuable ru-
l,ies have been found. "old Man stan
lev has been washing gold in the hills
for over AZ years and has raised big
family. bill Merriman is the patri-
arch of the section. He won't permit
- stranger to pet within half mile OF
him. so secretive is he concerning his
operations.
T7vlor, the California miner who
bnilt he hydraulic mine and the fumes,
AVS the Indiana dirt is of the SEINE
character that is found in California,
axcept that there is no cement in it,
which makes the operation IN Cantor
mia so costly. He thinks that there
$ a great deal of dirt in the Indiana
hills that will run over one dollar a
ward. He says that with the la test 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. tits found where
The glaciers from Hudson bay ended |
and deposited great banks of conglom-
crate