Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1904-02-19
INDIANA GOLD MINES.
Hydraulic Mining on 4 Large Scale
10 Nov Under Way.
Operations Nave CaussA . Panic
Among 0sissly nssfusss who
Have Been Paanins Dat tho
yellow MetaI.

For hundred years or more Il Ia,
been known that there was gold hac.
In the hills of the Indiana counties
says writer In the st. Louis Globe.
Democrat and for over half century
aqueer lot Of illiterate. grizzly recluses 4
have been washing gold bnck 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.
It is located in Morgan county,
north Of Martinsvills, the county seat.
1tisa small affsir, compared with those
In the west that tear down banks 400,
500 and 500 feet high. but II is capable
of thoroughly developing the 5o-foot
hills in which the gold IL lodged along
the hill streams Of Morgan, Brown and
Johnson counties.
The first cleanup on the hydraulic
mine has not yet been made, but IL is
confidently expected that Il will run 40
cents yard. Such a panning out would
mean that Indiana would Immediately
blossom forth 40 one OF the greatest
gold mining states in the union. In
most of the California placer mining
camps dirt 10 being worked that
Yields only ten cents a square yard,
and there the water rates are high,
X. L. Royss, who has brought about
the present development, became con-
vincsd three years ago that there was
gold in the Indiana hills that would
cause . national sensa tion II II 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 ont tracts Of land thst
showed good tests. He now has 2,500
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 u
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
killed q 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 $210 William Boutwell,. VINO
lives seven miles from Martlnsville.
killed q chicken, that netted him 90
cents. A farmer near Martinsvilis
killed duck that was veritAble Klon-
like.
The hydraulic operations have caueed
a panic among the grizzly recluses who
have been pannine the gold. They are
i quaint lot, with queer names. The
ding of their camps 10 4o-yeer-old.
red bearded man who can
neither read nor write and who IL
snown as Wild Bill Stafford" lie Is
king because ne IL known all over the
-o,d fields az the man that found the
ne nugget and that drank rs schoon-
,rr Of beer in one day without getting
trunk. Bill ~ rule. operatesin In Gold
.reek holler" He cleans up three dol
ars day when be WORKS strndily.
Old Man Moon" IN Brown county
washer. "Old Man Jim Stanley" who
perntes around in "Hiphlsnd holler,"
'ut his name into the history of the
old digpings by finding n 5000 dia~
nond. which was sold In the Tndianapo-
s mnrtet Quite number OF largo
ian onds and n number ri valuable ru-
les have. been found. "Old Man Stan
"" has been washing gold in the hills
or over ~ wears and has raised big
amily. "Bill' Merriman Is the patri-
rch of the section. He won't permit
stranger to get within half mile OF
i'm. 30 secretive IL he concerning his
pera tions.
Taylor. the California miner who
uilt the hydraulic mine and the fumes,
Tvs the lnaisn. Jiri Is 81 nc srrre
,aracter that 10 found in California,
,cept that there IL no cement In IL,
bich makes the operation In Califor-
a so costly. He thinks that there
a great deal Of dirt In the indiana
MS that will run over one dollar
lrd. He says that with the latest de-
ces dirt can he handled now that runs
,ly four cents yard at a big profit.
Geologist Biatchley holds to
e theory that the gold was brcuekt
,wn by the glaciers. tits found where
e glaciers from Hudson bay ended :.