Truth. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1901-1908, 1906-03-03

and such may never be found, which |
means that they will never figure in |
the lost" columns; to this may be
added the other fact that very few
of the found" ones ever do. A great
mine once found Is like the Nevadian
definition for an honest mamie is
one that stays bought; the mine stays
found.
The late William Van Dyke, of this
city, had little IL any experience in mi
ming affairs. Yet he was leading
figure in an event which, had he been
as well posted as he became later in
life, might have made him miner and
a successful one too. In 1854 he was
one of party of young married men
called by Brigham Young on mission
to what is now the eastern part of
Nevada, but was then a thousand
miles from anywhere in the lonesomest
and dreariest part of Utah, which is
putting the case pretty strong; but
the location itself was a semi-Paradise
compared to the desert wastes they
had to traverse in order to reach it.
There are springs here and there, but
so effectually are they concealed that
person not knowing their location
might perish with thirst-as several
have done-within a stones throw of
them, as the Van Dyke party would
have done but for the aid of friendly
Indians. The party constructed a fort,
planted trees and shrubs and in a gen.
eral way began at once making pre-
parations for permanent home.
| (The mission was recalled a year or
two later. One day three or four of
the men, Van Dyke inCluded-went out
along the adjacent mountains in
search OF stray horses, and while rest
ing in a ravine which cut down
through the foothills one of the party
mechanically kicked a boulder with
the heel of his boot, the rock breaking
to pieces. Their attention was then
drawn to some shining particles among
the pieces and examination showed
them to be what was either gold or a
good imitation. The pieces were kept
and In more recent years Van Dyke
impaired the story of his experiences
In the desert to the undersigned, to-
gether with piece of the rock about
as large as a pigeons egg. 1t proved
to be rose quartz in the last stages of
decomposition, fragments being easily
broken off with the thumb and finger
and fully one-fourth of it was gold in
small particles. He could not be in
duced to undertake the trip to where
| the ore was picked up, but he gave as
good description as possible after
so many intervening years, and con-
trubted money for the writer to go
| and "try his luck" doing the same
thing on later occasion. have been
out there five times, not till the last
succeeding in finding ground which fit
the description given. 1t is in a re-
| gion which has produced considerable
gold and at time when Southern Ne
Evada was not known to have such
thing, or much of anything else of
consequence. The nugget found by the
missionaries was doubles broken of
from ledge and floated by melting
SHOWS and occasional rlins down to
where they found it and where it had
no doubt lain for ages. The ledge thai
it came from is there yet; at least |
didn't bring it away and haven't heard
of any one else doing so, although sew
eral have gone in quest of it. 1t is
useless for any one to essay the task
unless he is prepared for campaign
and then no doubt, like the many other
great finds occurring almost every
day in Nevada, the breeding place of
what Van Dyke found could be ex-
posed to the light of day. That it will
be worth while when it does take