The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-03
Stumbling on Sudden Wealth
Accidents Often Lead PrOpecOrs to Rich Gold Mines

With proof of his find in his pockets
Ross made his way to San Francisco,
where he soon interested capitalists in
his discovery. Within two months he
had sold out his interests for $3.50, OOO
1t is said that he got back to Glas-
gov some weeks before the return of
the tramp steamer from which he had
deserted.
Even stranger and more startling
than the foregoing was the experience
of Captain George Wells in New Mex
leo. The captain had been a prospectOr
in the pixies -Peak-or- bust" DAYS.
During the civil war he served on the
Union side with his old friend. Kit
Carson. After the war the captain
made number of strikes. but dislik-
ing routine work he always sold cut
for a song" and returned to the old
lonely ways
In the spring of 1872 the captain
found himself in Albuquerque. and
down on his luck. A man named Muir
ply, who kept the principal fonda or
hotel in the place, offered to grub-stake
Wells on condition that he should pros
pect in the Sandia mountains. These
mountains rise brown and verdureless
to the east of the Rio Grande. Muir
phy had heard the tradition that in the
early days of the Spaniards they had
work the gold mines in the Sandia
mountains. At length the Indians rose
III revolt, slew their Oppressors. and
destroyed every Vestige of the mines
in which over 2OO.0 900 of their fellows
had persisted
To Wells, who had a good practical
knowledge of geology, the undertaking
did not appeal, and then he was in
credulous where Spanish or Indian ira
muonS were concerned. But having
made the agreement with AIurphv. he
determined to keep it. With a rife ar
his back and a Colt in his belt-WelIs
carried arms from force of habit. for
there was neither game nor danger
from attack in the region into which
he was gOing-and his grub and mos
pecung outfit packed on a little gray
burro, he faced the brown serrate4
peaks to the east.
The desolation of that wilderness of
arid peaks and tOrid arroyos wouid
nave appalled, any man not familiar
with nature in her most uDinvitino,
moods. but Wells had patience and y
purpose. After six weeks of fufiIe
Misunderstanding search the supplies gave
out and then the sturdy prospector de-
clded to make his way back to AIbu-
querque and acknowledge himself
beaten.
In the captains outfit there were ten
pounds of blasting powder and a DOW
erful magnifying glass. The only use
OF the latter so far had been 10 light
pipe or start a fire. Before loading
the bUrro for the return Wells climbed
the wall of the rocky gulch. in which
he had camped the night before in Or
der to take 4 last look at the field of
his failure. He had just reached the
lookout and was shading his eyes from
the glaring sun. when an explosion
that seemed to shake the rock on which
ne stood rOared up from the little can
yon. He flew down to where he left
the outfit but he found il gone. and
the little gray burTo was blown into
shreds
At once the captain understood the
cause of the disaster He had so placed
his magnifying glass on the outside Of
the pack that the suns rays became
focused on the powder. and the explO-
sion followed. Feeling that the re-
quirements of the situation could not
be met by the most vigorous use of the
picturesque profanity of which he was
a past MASTER Wells sat down with his
head between his hands TO think; but
thinking was impossible, for the brain
was all awhirl
At length the old soldier rose slowly
to mis- feet and drew his revolver closer
within reach. Desperately he looked up
at the steel-blue sky and the simmer
ing heat waves distorting the upper
lines of the canyon. Then his eyes fell