The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-15

Panamints with it's mine. The three men
got out. With a shovel they cleared the
sand heaped up before the wheels; they
placed gunny sacks beneath the tires; then
putting their shoulders against the ton
neau, they pushed and strained while the
chauffeur applied full power The wheels
whizzed, caught the sacking and stuck
again.
Cant make it," said the chauffeur.
Got to- said Sullivan and Campbell.
They sat down upon the baking sand to
consider the matter.
THE mulesl' exclaimed Campbell at
length.
you've got it," said Sullivan.
With ropes they tied the wagon to the
front axle of the auto For 100 yards it
went. Then the mules stopper exhausted.
For seven miles, by 100 hard stretches,
they heaved the machine over the sand.
And finally they struck hard ground.
Machine Skidded.
The machine struck a down grade and
whizzed along. At the bottom of the
grade, a faint. green mustiness was VS.
ibie. The machine approached 1t with
vertiginous speed. Suddenly, with an ex-
clamation. the chauffeur leaned forward
and put on both brakes. There was a
thump a screech of tortured, the machine
skidded and jumped, then came to a full
stop. The ont wheels were buried into
the trcacherors soil
With infinite labor, they pulled her back
/ out of it. They examined the ground and
found that the road led through an all1ali
swamp. Over the ooZy depths, a crust
that seemed hard, but broke to weight,
stretched like shimmering white liz.
They held a conference. and then decided
upon taking a wild chance.
With only the chauffeur in it, the auto
was backed far up tine grade it had come
down. The rest of the men spread along
the path Through the marsh, ready for
any emergency. Sullivan dropped his
handkerchief for a signal. and the ma.
chine started down the hill.
Right away, the chauffeur put on full
speed. The steel flaps in front opened like
wings. Silently at first, like a shadow
she whzzed down; then, as she caught
the full impetus of power and grade, she
bagn to buzz in a crescendo that rose
till she Dared like a bombshell Downssh
came arcar, like a meteor from the skies
Desperate Expedient Tried.
An involuntary cry came from the men
in the marsh as she bore down upon them
She cleared the first 100 feet as If with
one spring. She struck a succession of
nard stones between mud holes. Each
time the wheels catching the hard spot
Jumped her over the next soft one and
thus, by a series of mad leaps she went
almost across. On the further edge a
few feet from safety, she seemed to mlre
for good. She stopped. the wheels whir-
ring madly through the slime. But the
men alongside frenzied threw their coats,
their hats, their shirts beneath the wheels
and slowly, inch by inch. she at length
rose upon the hard ground
Everything afterward was easy in COM
parison, though enough to daunt wills
forged of baser metals than those of Sui
hvan Campbell and Chafey. The auto
at midnight rolled into the little camp at
Emigrant Springs.
Even then 1t was not time to rest Afoot
the party climber over the hills, and Just
at sun-up they were standing upon a
monstrous outcroppng of goldbearing
quartz. the mine so desperately Won
Taking samples here and there they
returned to camp. 'panned" them, and
there and then. Sullivan. Chafey and the
prospectors closed the deal. Hardly had
this been done when the puff puff of an
auto drew them outside of the tent Slow
ly. painfully. a crippled automobile was
rolling in from the other side of the
mountains. Campbell recognized the man
In the auto, a confidential agent of Charles
NJ. Schwab, the great steel magnate The
race had been won, and just won