Omaha daily bee., 1906-07-29
LURE OF THE GOLDEN STORE
Aew - HsrstOfors Fortune Beckous Pros
peotors 10 Desert Fastnsues.
NEVADA AGAIN on THE NINE MAP
Gfuesems History Of Death VALLEY
ignored I'm the liant for Rich
MetsI-Nsrvy MIners Brave
Destruction IN the Chase.

Shut your eyes and say gold hunting"
The vision IL OF an old sunbaked pros
pector. shuffiing along behind a pack Of
dusty burros, through an endless desert
But out in southwestern Nevada, where
mining is newest and most modern, there
is another kind of gold hunting" the
KIND that is done by the big fellows"
IL should be called mine hunting The
men that engage in 1t are looking for a
mine.
That kind Of mine hunting IL not done
afoot behind file of burros It's done in
automobiles. The men that engage in IL
Keep up an intelligence department.
just as do the war ofices Of European gov
ernments. They have emissaries all over
the gold fields, Flooding patiently through
the desert "panning' in ravines, upon
mountain stops. They have emissaries in
the towns, In the saloons, the gambling
places-fellows who can engage converse
tlen and have good ears. In the garage
close to their ONCE Is their automobile,
oiled up like a watch, laden with extra
tires, gasoline, a grub" box and water,
the chauffeur lounginG near. Upon news
OF strike, Mr.. Mine Hunter grabs up
his overcoat, sAunters across the street
TO the garage, steps into the tonneau, ami
he De on Beneath the perpendicular sun,
beneath the blazing stars, through desert
and oasis, mountain or sink, his big ma
chine whirrs-one day, two days, three,
IL necessary--till he comes to the find.
IL IT looks good he buys 1t. II not, he
goes back, bootless
Nearly every one of these trips Is an
adventure. The men of the mining dis
tricts relate them to each other as. N.
the Middle Ages, the men who stayed at
home told OF the hardships and deeds of
the sesrchers for the holy grail. The
story that is being told now Is the run
made by L. NJ. Sullivan and Jack Camp
bell. From Manhattan, Sullivan and Camp
bell sprang $50 miles, clean across Death
Valley, the earth's inferno, into the Pana-
mint mountains on the California side,
and bounced there upon a monstrous ledge
Of rich quartz, the finding of which had
been dimly heralded on the wings of ru-
NOR They got there just in time, too,
for hardly had they made a preliminary
examination and closed the deaf when a
big black auto. carrying the fortunes of
Charles NJ. sehwab. the steel magnate,
whirred into the, little camp from the
california side-too late.
Hot Ran 90 the Front.
Just before midnight Of June Is Camp
bell whiszed through the main street OF
GoldheId and halted the auto in front of
the Sullivan ONCE. Campbell Is a mining
engineer In charge OF the Sullivan prop
critics In Manhattan. The intelligence of
the strike had reached him FIRST and he
had come down from Manhattan. seventy
mites, in two hours Sullivan was still
in his Office, presiding over a meeting of
directors Two words from Campbell
were enough. and. SELLING a box Of cigars
and his big automobile leather coat, he
stepped into the machine. short stop
was made at the garage to take on extra
tires and gasoline and then the big ma
chine buEzed out into the open country.
At O'Clock they were in Rhyote. There
they met chsfey. the young fellow who had
flashed the first news OF the strike. He
informed them that he had sent on a mule
team with provisions to Stove Pipe spring,
on the edge OF Death valley. half hour
stop was made A new supply OF gasoline
was taken aboard and each man was given
a South African canvas bag full Of water.
They rolled on. and the mountalnsNose on
all sides, yelled, painted, mysterious noun
talns Finally they were at the bottom,
100 feet below sea level
Across the Valley of Death.
The mule wagon which Chafey had sent
on ahead was there driven by Mr.. McCul-
Tough, a desert prospector of years expe-
rience. They loaded up with the water
from the spring for the machine. boarding
the better water for drinking, and then
they went on across the valley of death.
half mile on they reached the sand dunes
and the big machine stuck, its wheels
whirrlng impotently through the elusive
stun without catching.
we can't make IT," said the chauffeur.
We've got to make it," answered Sui
Ivan and Campbell. In one breath Before
them, blue with the distance, rose the
Panamints with its mine. The three men
got out with a shovel they cleared the
sand heaped up before the wheels; they
placed sunny sacks beneath the tires; then,
putting their shoulders against the tom
neau, they pushed and strained while the
chauffeur applied full power The wheels
whiHxed, caught the sacking and stuck
again.
Can't make H." said the chauffeur
Got to- said Sullivan and Campbsll.
They sat down upon the baking sand 70
consider the matter,
The mulesr' exclaimed Campbell at
length.
You've got H." said Sullivan.
with ropes they tied the wagon to the
front axle Of the auto, For loo Yards e
went Then the mules stopped exhausted
For seven miles. by 100 hard stretches
they hesved the machine over the sand