The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1907-11-07

OAu JOOo la Il SdhAH " Wa -
then drifted out to California, where
he died in a poorhouse.
Less gruesome has been the fate Of
later Nevada gold seekers, Of whom
one of the most renowned is George
Humphrey, the locator Of the discov-
cry claim at Manhattan. He was a
~cowpuncher and later a rancher at
Reno. Two years ago he was seized
by a bad attack OF gold gever ana
fastened to Tonopah for treatment.
During the last week of March,, he
INDUCED in the not unaccustomed
luxury f a spree. On the first day OF
April he recovered consciousness and
sanity and started for Belmont, some
80 miles away to the north, to visit
his father and brother, taking a
quart bottle of "miner's joy' along
for companionship. The day was hot,
the road dusty and his throat dry.
Naturally he toyed with the bottle,
and when noon came it was empty and
he was sleepy. So he dismounted,
picketed his broncho and lay down in
the shade of a scrub oak on the way
slant across the summit of the noun
tain when he awoke, and he made
haste to resume his journey.
By the merest chance his eye fell
upon a piece of rock that his boot
heel had dislodged during his slum
Der. Picking it up from force of hao-
it, he examined it closely. He could
see no signs of value, but it seemed
to him that it looked just like the
rich ores of Tonopah and Goldfeld.
So he placed it in his pocket and
fastened on his way. He gave the
piece of rock no further thought for
about three months, when he handed
it to an assayer. Imagine his surprise
when told that it carried $1,000 in
gold to the ton.
He and his brothers lost no time in
hurrying back to the scene of his
siesta, where they experienced no
difficulty in finding the ledge from
which the rock fragment had been
broken. 1t had been passed by
thousands Of miners, ranchers and
cowboys, but no one had thought it
worth looking into. There they stalk
ed their claim, naming it the April
Fool, in commemoration of the day of
discovery. Then they went to work,
sacking ore from the cactus roots
down. The first carload shipped a
eraged $500 to the ton, and the Man.
haitian boom was on.
The first strike in the Leadville dis
trict in Colorado dates back to the
"Pike's Peak or bust" slogan of 1866
when the whole empire within a ra
dius of 200 miles Of the peak was
known as the Pixies Peak region
Two parties happened to strike Twir
lakes at the same time, the Stevens
party of seven men and the johnson
party of four men. They all cached
their flour and provisions and ther
separated. Each party agreed tc
notify the other in case they STRUCK
it by a pistol shot. The johnson party
entered what is now called Iowa gulcl
and the Stevens crowd tried theil
luck in another gulch to the left. Thu
Stevens party became hungry and {
man by the name Of Slater started fol
the cache. In his absence Abe lie,
began to pan some worthless looking
dirt to kill time, and one of his com
panions called out derisively:
"Well," what have you gotf"
"I've got California right herr
in my pan," he answered.
His companions ran up to be shown
and found that he had made a phe
nomenal strike. The pistol sigma
brought the others to the spot ant
claims were staked and a new min
ing district was born 1t was nance
CaIitornIa guich in honor of ABB
Lees remark. In 10 days from tina
Time the place contained 4O,OO'
people.
Like the miners of Washoe, thos'
OF California gulch were worried al
mos. TO the point OF insanity by
neavy sand that clogged their sluic'
BOXES. 1t was silver, out they didn'
KNOW 1T. In ten years they cleanet
up pa, $780, UO in gold and probaDi,
.nrew away $Izo,ovu,OO0 IN tina
worthless" black sand. The placer
were nnaiiy exhausted and the camp
u Caiilornla guich were all deserted
except four or v log cabins ma
never became t~enantless. In 1876 tn
.,rsI ION OF carbonate ore was haule(