The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-15
GOLD HUNTING IN
THE DISTANT WEST
Up-to-Date ProSpector Uses
Motor Car
WILD TRIPS ARE MADE
Across Desert and Plain the Painting
Machine Flies Until Location of
the "Strike" Is Reached.
A thrilling Ride.

Goldfeld (Nev) Cor Milwaukee Sentinel
Shut your eyes and say gold hunting.
The vision is of an old sunbal1ed prospec-
tor, shuffling along behind pack Of
dusty burors, through endless desert.
Eut out here in Southwestern Nevada,
! where mining is newest and most modern,
there is another kind of gold hunting"
the kind that is done by he ''big fellows.
1t should be called mine hunting. The men
that engage in it are looking for a mine.
That kind of mine hunting is not done
afoot behind a file of burros. It's done in
automobiles. The men that engage in it
keep up an Intelligence department"
just as do the war offices of European
governments. They have emissaries all
over the gold fields, Flooding patiently
through the desert, banning in ravines,
upon mountain tops. They have emissa-
ries in the towns in the saloons, the
gambling places-fellows who can engage
conversation and have good ears. In the
garage close to their office is their auto
mobile, oiled up like a watch, laden with
extra tires, gasoline, grub box, and
water, the chauffeur lounging near. Upon
news of a strike, Mr.. Mine Hunter grabs
up his overcoat. saunters across the street
TO the garage, steps into the tonneau, and
he is off Beneath the perpendicular sun,
beneath the blazing stars. through desert
and oasis, mountain or sink, his big ma
chine whrrs-one day, two days, three,
If necesi y. till he comes to the find.
If It LOOKS good he buys It, If not he
goes back. bootless.
Nearly every one of these trips is an adj
venture. The men of the mining districts
relate them to each other as. in the Mid
die Ages the men who stayed at home
told of the hardships and deeds Of the
searchers for the holy grail. The story
that Is being told here now is the run
made by L. NJ. Sullivan and Jack Camp
bell From Manhattan, Sullivan and
Campbell sprang $50 miles. clean across
Death Valley, the earth's inferno, into the
Panamint Mountains on the California
side and pounced there upon monstrous
ledge of rich quartz. the finding of which
had been dimly heralded on the wings Of
srumor They got there just in time. too.
For. hardly had they made preliminary
examination and closed the deal when
a big black auto, carrying the fortunes of
Charles NJ. Schwab, the steel magnate,
whirred into the little camp from the
California sde-too late.
Wild Auto Trip.
Just before the midnight of June 10,
Campbell whizzed through the main street
of Goldfield and halted the auto in front
of the Sullivan office. Campbell is min
ing engineer in charge of the Sullivan
properties in Manhattan. The Intelligence
of the strike had reached him first, and
he had come down from Manhattan, sew
enty miles, in two hours. Sullivan was
still in his office presiding over a meet
ing of directors. Two words from Camp
bell 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 machine buzzed out into the
open country.
At o'clock they were in Rhyolite.
There they met chafey, the young fellow
who had flashed the first news of the
strike He informed them that he had sent
or a mule team with provisions to Stove
Pipe Spring on the edge of Death Valley.
A half hour stop was made. A new sup
ply of gasoline was taken aboard and
each man was given a South African cam
vas bag full of water. They rolled on,
and the mountains rose on all Sides
yelled, painted. mysterious mountains.
Finally they were al the bottom, lOO feet
below sea level.
Across Valley of Death.
The mule wagon which Chafey had sent
on ahead was there. driven by Mr.. Nc
Cullough. a desert prospector of years
experience. They loaded up with the water
from the spring for the machine, and
then they went on. across the valley of
death. A half mile on they reached the
sand dunes. and the big machine stuck,
Its wheels whirring impotenty through
the elusive stuff without catching.
I'VE can't make It," said the chauffer.
We've got to make it, answered Sui
Ivan and Campbell. in one breath. Before
them, blue with the distance. rose the