Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-05-27


The origin of Tinted Paper.
The Baku petroleum deposits. which
have yielded millions of pounds worth
of nne oil, are situated in Russian eau.
casus.
Years ago q number of cattle were
placed on several tracts OF land well
covered with heritage. The animals,
however. refused TO feed at first, but
later. in their hunger, they ate up the
grass ravenously. All Of them were
taken I'll, and number died.
The cause OF their death puzzled the
owner for some time. Ia the long run
he discovered, with the assistance of an
Englishman, that below the meadows
were rich oil springs which caused the
grass TO be poisoned with paraffin. The
loss OF bis cattle brought a fortune.
A summer or two back a sea wall ON
the Suffolk coast was blown down dur
ing a strong gale. and when the tide
rose many acres of low lying land We're
flooded by the sea. The farmers who
rented the land were in despair, and in
order to save their crops they started
draining the water of.
Two days later the water sodden
meadows were sight wonderful to be-
hold. They We're one thick carpet of
fine mackerei! A big school of the fish
had swept in through the breach in the
embankment and been carried to the
fields by the incoming sea.
The formers hired scores OF carts TO
collect the mackerel, and within TWEEN
ty-four hours the fish had been packed
into boxes and were ell route TO Bill
lingsgate, where they were sold for
over 5000.
Starving. i'll clad and bootless. Robert
Hyams. u homeless Jew, wandered to
the top OF lonely hill on the Yorkshire
moors. There was strong gale blow
ing from the east, and 10 protect him
self from the cold blast he entered Il
big shed of wood and gorse on the sum
init which was used to store fodder for
the sheep.
Stepping through the door, which
opened to the eastward, he was aston
ished TO find inside over sixty wild
ducks, half stunned, but quacking VIC
lently. He slammed the door TO and
started catching the birds and wiring
Ing their necks.
The shed lay right in the flight lines
Of the myriads OF wild ducks that come
to Britain from the north, and, flying
low IN their huhdreds. some of them
had entered the door Of the shed, which
had been left open by the shepherds.
and stunned themselves on the rear
wall
Hyams sold the lucky haul for a sum
exceeding fS. and with this he was able
TO clOthe himself respectfully and thus
find employment.
On the beach which fringes the preci-
pieces below Cape Nome there is now u
prosperous city peopled by 10000 min
ers. but at one time, and not SO very
long ago, the spot was uninhabited.
The discovery of the gold in the dis
trict and its ultimate prosperity was
entirely due to a seal.
Two American hunters had wounded
the strange creature. and 1t led them a
pretty dance across the Ice and into
an unknown bay, where the seal was
killed after badly wOunding one OF the
hunters.
In its death struggles the seal flung
up the ground, and the hunters. TO their
agreeable surprise, found themselves
on a golden strand-the richest one in
the world.
The death OF mule brought great
wealth to Frederick Butler. a Klon-
diker who took part I'm the memorable
rush TO the gold fields OF Yukon. He
left his mule standing one day on a
plot Of land far away from the
claims" and another miner who had a
grudge against his fellow digger shot
the animal in the neck with his re-
volver
The mule fell and in its agony kick
ed up the ground with its hoofs. When
its owner returned he found several
pebbles" OF strange weight and shape
lying around the dead animal He
cleansed the supposed pebbles and they
proved To be nuggets of virgin gold
The dying mule had struck one OF the
richest veins in klondike.
similar ease of gold being discov-
cred by an animal occurred in Scotland
In 1865. A dog. badly wounded by a
shot from a gamekeeper's gun. scratch
Ell up some gold on ground which was
afterward known as the Dunrobin gold
mines. near Golspie Over f20,0O0
worth OF the precious metal was wash
Ell out OF the mine by the owner OF the
fortune bringing dog
The Patori silver mines in Spain
were also discovered by a wounded
dog and il is said that the famous dia-
Dlond mines at Kimberley were first
revealed to a wide awake Boer by a
SOW which he had shot
Geld 10 the value OF some hundreds
OF pounds was dug out Of portion of
the ground belonging to a Mr. Ireton of
western Cumberland. A fowl chased
by boy threw up nugget of gold
with its claws as IL fed from its pur-
Suer
Subsequently IL transSired that where
the bird had been was dried up
stream and contained gold dust and
small nuggets In large quantities.
RdmSgate haFbor was once flooded