Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-26
LIKE A ROMANCE
IS MINING STORY.
HOW FRED BIRNEY FOUND
GREENWATER DISTRICT
Spokane Prospeetor Discovered Gold
Accidentally and Drove of Claim
Jumpers at the Point Of
Revolver

Intensely interesting Is the story of
how Fred Birney of Spokane discov-
cred the Greenwater copper district IN
Inyo county, California, where Patrick
Clark, also of Spokane. and number
of eastern capitalists are now develop
ing rich properties. Birney is living
quietly In Spokane. While he has
passed more than a dozen years i'll
mining camps of the inland empire
and California and Nevada he does not
look the part of an experienced pros
pector. He came to this country sew
enteen years ago from Belfast, Ireland,
where his father is a shoe manufac-
turer.
1t was he who first located the prop
critics now owned and operated by the
Furnace Creek Copper company.
Mr.. Birney, who was accompanied by
Phil Creasor on the prospecting trip IN
to the Death valley region of Calttor-
mia. has told the story of the find in
these words:
"Phil Creasor and I left Goldfield,
New, December 13, 1904, well outfltted
for an extensive prospecting trip into
the desert. We had nothing particular
in view. Our only purpose was to get
into some part of the great desert
which had not been previously pros
pected.
eve loaded our outfit on four large
Spanish burros and struck out for the
south. We prospected along from one
camp to another until we came to Ash
Meadows on the Amargosa river. we
found there an Indian family in camp
and one of the Indians, Bob Black, who
could speak a little English, told us
of a section of mountain and desert
thirty-five to forty miles away that
had never been penetrated by white
men. Two days after the Indian gave
us this information he murdered his
sauaw. her brother and two white men,
Tip by an Indian
"We loaded the burros with as much
water as they could carry in five gallon
cans. 160 pounds of water to each ami
NAL, and set out for the region de-
scribed by this Indian. We had to put
the burros on short rations of water
We gave them one drink a day, two
gallons to an animal; then hobbled them
and let them rustic for the night.
1--WE worked our way up to the dry
mountains and made camp one night at
a point about six miles from the dis
covery. We were up at daylight the
next morning, and about 4:3O o'clock
discovered some little pieces of copper
which had evidently drifted down the
dry bed of what occasionally had been
a large torrent from cloudbursts. L
said to Phil Creasor that I would go on
ahead and prospect this wash, leaving
him to follow after with the animals.
II worked my way up the wash for
five or six miles, tracing the hoat. at
different places until came to point
where I could find no more float This
h csarrf
float had been getting larger and then
disappeared altogether. At that point
/ went up over a hogback down into
a little draw and there found big
boulders of cooper ore. and twenty or
thirty feet away was the ledge, stand
ing out like a wall. L ran back and
called Creasor and we staked off six
claims.
1--WE then walked across Death val
ley. Lost valley and the desert to Keel
er, $50 miles, where we recorded our
claims. Our way ran across an un-
known country, and we set our course
by the compass. We went back few
dasy later and staked off sixteen more
claims As there was nobody else IN
the country, we prospected in leisurely
way and took the cream of the district
Luck and Destiny
''In prospecting there is great deal
In luck and destiny. l suppose l might
have passed over the same route 1OC
times and never noticed the float If my
eye had not casually fallen upon it tnat
morning at daybreal1 That country is
so dry that the rocks show little stain
from the copper ledges The float
discovered that morning was undoubt-
edly washed down by cloudbursts.
Mr.. Creasor is ore of the best pros
pectors in America, and no man better
understands the correct way in which
to stake claims.
''It is a remarkable fact that wher
the surveys were made later. we did MOI
lose Il foot Of ground in our origlna
locations. So carefully was 1t all done
that we have never had a contest or
any of the claims.
1.-THE nearest approach to that oc
CURED one day when my partner haC
gone out for mail and I was left alone
in the camp. Three adventurers cam'
upon the ground and declared their pur'
pose to stake some of it. They un'
doubtedly thought that when the sur
veys were made some fractions woult
be revealed an6 they would get them
but 1 was determined to prevent any
clouding of our well earned title. W.
had worked three months in that des
ert and / felt that we were entitled t.
all we had discovered.
1.-THE men had laid down their arms
preparatory to stalking a claim, and
was desperate enough to grab my re-
volver, get drop on them and begir
my argument They promptly acqui
esced in the justice of my position.
told them that / had no objection tC
telling them where they could stak,
some ground that might be available
guided them to a point five or six miles
away, which afterward was found t
be quite valuable
SAN FRANCISCO CONVENTION