Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16
WONDERFUL ROMANCE of NEVADAS GOLDEN WEALTH

wording. A compromise was effected
and Comstock took his share OF tho
claim, Late In that year he sold his
holdings to one Walsh OF San Francisco
who took ore specimens to san Francis
co and had them assayed and discov-
cred silver In the ore. Walsh formed the
Ophir Gold Mining company In 1860 and
act about handling the claim In a mod
ern manner.
Mclodramntic Struggle.
Then. with the news of the rich silver
discoveries coming 70 the ears OF the
man at the rocker over In the Golden
state. was one of Americas great melo-
dramatic struggles for primary OF In
diyidual man enacted. They dropped
their rockers and took upon their backs
food for the journey over the sierras
TO the new land. In one village In Call
ifornia they set forth In the darkness OF
early dawn upon foot This was tho
true romance of the west We. In mod
ern times, creep up the mountains over
the steel rails and glide down the far
side into the valley below. recllne IN easy
chairs and admire falling water aud
giant pines and lirs-nOt so With him
who was to carve Nevada from the
mountalnside and present her full
grown TO the rest OF the nation. Foot
sore and weary, sleeping by night upon
the snow and stumbling by day over
dashing streams and up almost lmpass-
able sleeps, with his eyes stralnlng 70
see who was ahead Of him and turning
lealously TO see II the man behind was
gaining upon him. cursing the man
with the horse. the primitive man deiied
Nature to check his progress toward
the end he had set out to reach. When
they reached Virginia and poured IN
upon the little settlement. they rushed
out and located claims everywhere
Claims, claims. claims. On the noun
tain. In the valley in the hidden silent
places far away from the camp, stood
men with the fire OF fearlessness In
their eyes and the hope OF mastery
surgIng up IN their hearts to defend
with their very lives what was theirs by
right Of might.
Great Men Were 1ney
Little wonder is It to the man OF easy
life that Virginia city became what II
did In a night. Such were the men
who turned Rome upside down ana
rushed about her streets wearing on
their brOws ci NVus stripped from kings
OF tribulAtlons: suc,. were the n7en VINO
mapped the Bh.ar OF the fearless cap.
tain who land|d on our shores Ana
knelt before his wooden cross and ask,
ed the blessings Of God upon his wen
rewarded courage. A mile above the
sea. hundreds OF miles from a food
supply cut on ev-G from drlnkins va.
ter al times. they laughed at defeai
and tested with despair Never wa'
town born OF such hardness. never WIZ
town be born again Of such mems "
hor. IN all American history virginia
city must ever stand as the hrst real
monument to physical daring reared
upon the trackless west. In comparison
with It. cities OF the east nesting ~
the arm Of navigahle waters, blessed
with every natural resource known -
ambitious man, must fade into lnslgnlh,
canoe. Thus was Virginia born anu
| thus did she set about TO teach all tha
world what American men might 90
when fear and dreaming were cast
aside thus did the west teach the cas-.
the new life that was without deiea,
and welcome the cheers OF all civllized
| nations for American daring.