The Cairo bulletin., 1906-09-23
When You Get The
Mother Lode Fever

If you are going to hunt for gold
don't fail to get inoculated for the
mother lode fever" says a man who
has been digging for precious metals
for forty odd years In my time In
California, in South Africa, and in The
klondike, | have seen many expert
enced miners fall i'll of that disease
You get Out among a big gang OF
men where everybody is struggling to
unearth treasures. and you get in that
frenzy that makes you work with
superhuman strength and endurance.
But If YOU have heard or read some.
where that those deposits of precious
metals in the streams and all others
that are located similarly have been
washed down from up there in the
nils that story will echo in your ears
. while you work and at night II would
be The subject of your dreams Then
| you'd have the mother lode fever.
That is. you'd have it unless you
! We're an uncOmmOnly well educated
/ miner or one endowed with rare
/ quantity of good sense. or one of those
/ lazy beggars that think it's true that
everything comes to him who'll wait.
In many ways the theory of the
mother lode seems plausible. Even
/ the scientists haven't decided for sure
that there's nothing in it. 1t is sug-
gested that the gold discovered ia the
streams, as SO much Of it was in Cali.
Iornia and the Klondike, comes from
the mountains, and lodged there by
commissions Of nature in bygone days.
The theory OF the mother lode is that
in those commissions great quantities
of gold were deposited in the mountain
ranges and that what the average
miner finds Is that part that has been
washed down by the water. Sounds
plausible enough, doesn't it?
One who has set his mind on reach
Ing the great fountain head of the
stream of gold is thoroughly convinced
that somewhere back in the moun.
tains, where the mining explorations
have not yet been made, lies the great
deposit To be sure, he might pick
and wash here in the stream and
gather together enough to give him
fair competence for life; but why
potter about with the small things
when there, just above. lies wealth
that would make of him a modern |
Midas?
Ever hear of Lem HOLSTER? | !
first met Lem in California, and found I
him hot on the trail of the mother lode I
"a tbnnuht IL
not very profitable then--it had been /
played out | didn't know much about
the mother lode theory them nobody
did, guess, for it was something new.
Lem had picked up the theory some-
where, and he was sure 1t would pay
him in the end.
He was a secretive cuss. Lem was.
He'd work at placer mining for quite
spell, never saying anything to US,
but always seeming TO be thinking A
ot. When he'd gathered up a little
pile he'd sell out his mine. whether
he'd worked il out or not. and away
ned 90 up in the mountains. alone.
he seemed to think he could discover
he mother lode without assistance;
he didn't want TO have to divvy with
my one. OF course, he never found IL.
When his stake was gone he'd come !
Jack and dig in again to make an
'ther.
Next time | saw Lem was at Nome.
was one of the first ones to go there
rom the state, but Lem was there
head of me. We staked claims I'm the
anne locality. and Lem worked faith
ully. and did we'll
You'll soon have enough laid bv TO
rake YOU independent / said to him
" Yes, I'm duin' fairly well. consid.
rim he said.
You don't think you'll find the
enter lode up here. do your I asked.
Not II | keep diggin' away here
2 replied. somewhat sourly. thought.
wondered then if he still chung to
Is crazy idea. but didn't say any
ore. 4 few DAYS later he disap-
cared. ! felt pretty certain as to |
here he'd gone. I'd heard other talk
z OF finding the mother lode in the
londike.
One day. several months later.
et HOLSTER in Dawson. His first
pedition had failed; he had returned. L
ade another stake. and was going
Il again His recent experiences had -
ID on him: he didn't look fiji for an
her journey into those unknown re-
1ns.
Lem 7 told him. don't You be y
d now. You're getting on fairly well :,
re. and Won ought to be- satisfied
Il Fairly Well he sneered. -
Better than lots OF the bovsf I =.
gued What you've got doesn't look -
: here. but down in the states 81 viii.
n won't have 10 work any more il
u live 70 be 150 If you keep on At
lcer and hang onto your findings
q It's too slow and too hard he r. I n
ed I might as well be working on on
; section. I've looked into this tn
.sar rads matter carefully and my ga