The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-02-04
old M|LLI0NA|RES
One of the Mysteries of the
Mysterious Southwest
GREAT MENACE, DEATH BY THIRST
No Section So Attract. to the
Prospector for Gold as the Sierra
Fabulous l. Wealth.


co is SO attractive to ;he prospec,or,
with love OF adventure and 10
nance in his disp ositlon, as tnat en-
braced in the Sierra Ladrones. lne
actual production OF the lesion "a
nothing at all, yet 1t is known u
contain mineral deposits vi ainvst
| fabulous wealth. 1t is believed by
many Mexicans ana lnuians to be a
land of enchantment, with treasures
| guarded by the gods against the pro-
fane endeavors OF human laDoreIs,
and there are many white prospec-
tors who have had experience among
les rugge peaks ana narrow passes,
who will not again brave Its dangers
! Tor all the wealth IL contains. It's
| greatest menace TO the prospector
Is death by thirst.
Three years ago, two young men
| from Charleston arrived IN oocor:o,
| purchased burros, prospecting odt-
fits, and a supply OF provisions, and
started into the Laurones-agalnst
the advice OF all the experienced
miners who made their acquaintance.
! They never returned; but eighteen
months later their bones, identified
by means of their Watches, and the
bones of their !.urros, were found in
an arroyo, together with large
quantity OF tellurlum. They mad
found a mine, and had been unable
to retrace their steps, and had prob
ably wandered around until they
died of thirst. Their ores were found
to run more than one-eighth gold.
Two of the men in the party that
found the bodies went to search for
the place from which the tellurium
had been obtained They have never
been heard from. and e-en their
bones have not yet been discovered.
Jan Sanbow, raw Swede from
the lumber camps OF the Northwest,
arrived in Socorro in the spring OF
1902. After prospecting fruitlessly
through the Chupadero Mountains,
he decided to try his luck in the La
drones. He was gone just a month.
returning with glowing reports of
placer field, with an abundant water
supply at hand, and with coarse gold
so abundant that one could see IL
glittering in the sands. TO prove
that he was no idle romancer, he had
more than $3,5OC worth of coarse
gold in his possession. The few to
whom he revealed his secret made up
a party to accompany him to the
new Ell Dorado. Tuey searched un-
til their food and water were ex-
hausted, but could fina neither the
stream nor the golden sands. To
l axe matters worse, they then found
that they had hopelessly lost their
bearings, and could not find way
out of the puzzling maze of gulches.
canons, and arroyos in which they
had become entangled. Just as their
condition became desperate, they
emerged from the dark walls OF a
forbidding canon into an open noun
tain park" with a smiling lake in
Its centre. Game ana hsh were
abundant, so that provision for all
their bodily wants was at hand.
With the call of the inner man
stilled, the greed for gold returned;
and one of the party began pannins
the sands of the lake. At mis- ex-
cited call, the whole party rusnea
TO his side. Sure enough, he had
color. and all were soon .busiiy
engaged washing the sands.
The discovery was "goot ;" but not
sensational. Some days the work
ers averaged Iiore than $40 eacn,
and on other days their labors re-
turned hardly half that amount
Finally 1t was decided that four OF
the party should make an effort to
return TO Socorro, or to find ONE
other outlying point, to obtain d
fresh @lpI ~ of provisions and other
necessities, while the other two
should remain at the diggings.
The pr that left had no difficult,
whatever in lndinl their way out
rs one OF the. expressed it, w,
Just followed our noses, and by an,
by Socorro came in sight. Their,
the news the discovery was sprea,
abroad. 1t did make the sensa
J ton that usually follows such an an
nouncement-for the old miners O
6 the Southwest arc afraid OF the La
4 drones. Many them would nc
= venture among those forbiddiu,
!. peaks for all the wealth OF the In
1 dies However. twenty men, inclu,
c ing the four returned prospector
i started for the incipient placer camI
4 They never reached it, Some tire
n OF the search and returned in IA lie
/. Gays, and all dropped out in tin
d but the four. They were unalteri
q bly, determined to return to the
II diting comrades. None have ev,
Il been heard from since. Wheth,
II the four succeeded in finding Il
3. camp or not. whether they are a
y still engaged in piling up wealth
N mat secluded vale, whether tn,
n made their way to some other mi
AZ Ing camp and kept their secret hi
N den. or whether they suffered q col
mon fate. reTains one Of the u
solved mysteries of the mysterio
Southwest.