The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-03-20
GOLDF|E[D, NEVADA,
PROVES COLORADO
Rich Mines Discovered There
by a Ranchman,
ONE MINER IN WASHINGTON
Great Boom in Goldfeld, Name Given
to Mushroom Town on Site of
New Finds.
ONE MINER IN WASHINGTON

Like a fairy story from real life, an
, Aladdins lamp tale with basis in fact, |
seem the statements concerning for
tunes already accumulated by miners in
The recently discovered belt OF gold de-
posits in and about Goldfeld. New.
W. S. Anderson, owner Of several val |
nable tracts in the new bonanza land, !
is in Washington for a few days, ex-
planning the good fortune which awaits
q small coterie of Westinghouse for
whom he purchased claims not far from
GoldIield. TO The Times Mr.. Anderson
gave an interesting account of the chase
after Natures virgin5wealth. which car
ried him to Alaska in the rush of 1896.
into Japan, China, Siberia. and over
most of the world since then, and final
~ into the Goldheld district little over
a month ago.
First Strike in Goldfeld.
THE first strike in Goldfield was made
about three years ago. said Mr.. Ander-
son. 1T seems that one Jim Butler, a
cattle rasfeher in a small way, had been
digging over his grazing lands for some
time, and in one place he had run a
drift in about fifty feet. iAll along there
We're evidences Of pay dirt but the
gold would not respond to ordinary
methods, and he was about to give up
in disgust when two prospectors from
Australia happened to pass that way.
Gold is found under almost identical
conditions in Australia, and these men,
Hammond and RundelI. saw at glance
that Buffers little mine was of great
value Specimens were secured and
> while Hammond vent to Seattle to have
an assay made, Rundell stood by the
mine to see that no other prospectors
beat them cut. The result of Ham,
mond's trip was that he and his partner
made an immediate offer to lease But
ler's holding. This was refused, But
ler's suspicious having been reused, but
Hammond and Rundeil did succeed in
gaining title to the dump where Butler
had deposited the seemingly wort HESS
earth and rock from his excavation.
Since then the two Australians have
cleaned up s2,a5o. 600 from that castzef
pile of dirt" 49,
Got Rich Quick
Mr.. Butler is now reputed to be
worth S2o.030,00o. He is associated with
Charles Schwab. of Steel trust fame
and the original Butler claim is said
by experts to. contain at least s10o, 900, 600
worth of the precious metal.
But the most phenomenal part of this
story of the new gold field was that
dealing with the rush of fortune seekers
to the spot once it became limited about
that gold was to be found there. In
1902 what is now the center OF the belt
boasted a population of eighteen men
and the entire territory comprising a
strip forty miles wide and 1870 miles long.
could muster less than LOCO souls. At
that time a spur of the Southern Pacific
Railroad running through Carson City
had its terminus at Virginia City. 145
niles away One train day was all
the little road boasted, but the fortune
hunters came in droves.
Now the Southern Pacific railroad is
rushing an important branch to early
completion into the heart Of the dis
trict. Goldfeld the largest of the half
dozen towns that have sprung up like
mushrooms, has increased in population
from Is TO 1899. and it is estimated
that fully $4,000 men are scattered over
the whole field. This spring the rail-
- roads are preparing TO haul at least as
many more TO the new Colorado.
Great Lack of Water.
at first mining in the Goldfeld district
was hampered only by lack OF water to
wash out the gold in the placcrs, and
the precious fluid was hauled for miles
IL. tiny donkey carts. Fabulous prices
were demanded and paid, and only as
recently as February Mr.. Anderson paid
$50 for one barrel of water. In no other
section does Mother Earth yield up her
riches so ungrudgingly-many- OF the
miners having struck streaks paying as
high as s., 600 per ton of ore, within six
feet of the surface.
Handling of the vast wealth SO quickly
gathered in the early days of the rush
and that was no more than a year ago
was accomplished by means of two and
three wagons hitched tandem 20 twelve
and fourteen-horse teams, the ore, worth
millions. being transported in sacks IL
the then narrow gauge railroads and
STACKED on the ground in heaps to
await its turn for shipment.
Since Mr.. Anderson's arrival in the
Fast water has been found IN abundance
in many wells drilled throughout the
section, and this simplifies enormously
the work OF the mines.
Goldheld. the Mecca OF thousands, is
in the extreme southern portion of Ne
vada, forty-fiye miles from the Cali
fernia line on the west, and go miles
from the Arizona line on the east.
The weather there Is equable from
year end to year end, and with few diff
Hculties surrounding the work IL is con-
fidentiy predicted that in the very near
future the field will stand at the head
Of the list as the worlds greatest CEN
ter of gold production.