Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-03

RI" HE press dispatch from Goldfield
- this week saying that Bonanza
SCOTS gold mine had been dis
u covered in the Death Valley
country recalls a lot of stories
Of lost and hidden mines in the west said
an old mining engineer to a Star reporter
the other day.
Naturally, the west is alive with such
stories" he continued Every mining re-
gton has Its lost mines, some of the stories
being true. some having a foundation in
fact. and others. probably the most of them
being simply the result OF mans natural
love OF the mysterious and of old stories
retold countless times and gaining in the
telling.
There is every probability that this story
about 'Scotty's' mine is true. The desert
down there is alive with gold, and II is such
a hard country to prospect in that once a
man finds a good lead IL Is not very hard to
keep the secret OF the spot Also the ig-
norant prospector has strange turn for
keeping such discoveries to himself when he
could make a good deal more by exploiting
the claim and selling stock
1T is said that there is big stampede
to the new gold location. 1t would be
strange If there were not Such an an
nouncement Is always followed by a gold
rush In that country, FOR the mining fever
is the most persistent form OF fever that a
man can have. whole camp may be de-
populated In the course OF a night by the
report OF a fresh strike hundred miles
away in the most inaccessible part OF the
desert. Like as not the story may be
pipe dream from start 10 finish. but that
has no effect in stopping the stampede
"Scottys find may be any one OF several
mysterious mines that have been los; and
found and lost again In the desert One
thing seems certain from the description,
and that is that 1t is not the famous Peg
leg which has caused the death of more
desert prospectors than any other of the
lost mines Of the west.
THE 'Pegleg Is one OF the best authenti-
Gated of all the lost mines il has been To-
GATED four or five times In the past seventy
five years. and Its whereabouts is pretty
well known to within a radius OF less than
hundred miles. But IT is in the midst OF
the most God forsaKen desert on the face
Of the globe. and few people who have ever
seen II have been able TO go back TO IT,
Those who did were always killed one way
or another without revealing their secret
and the Pegleg' still remains lost to the
world at large.
IF any one wants to look for II they are
welcome TO the following directions: 1t lays
somewhere of tho old Los Angeles trail
between Los Angeles and Yuma. Ii is "A dry
placer, located on the highest one of three
nei8hhoring peaks, presumably not far from
the turn OF 10 Warmers pass. The gold Is
on the surface and is of peculiar appear
ance. darker than most placer nuggets ana
known among the mining men of the west
as 'sunburnt gold There are specimens or
~ IN number OF mining museums And
any one who can find IL ard get out again
alive has his fortune made.
"Pegleg Smith, gentleman with one
wooae2 prop. was its original discoverer
oacHQz. He was crossing that section
OF the deSkN between Fort Yuma and Los
Angeles when he tried to take u cut Off in
the neighhorhood of Warmers pass Quite
naturally he lo5t his way ane came near