Gilpin observer., 1911-06-29
THE WORLDS DEBT
TO THE PRoSPEcToR.

Golden Fleece down through the
pages Of history to the first finding
of gold in California the element Of
accident has been one of the strong
est features of mining. The argo-
nauts found the fleece and returned
home with the bacon but 1t was not
by design that Jim Marshall was led
to explore the ripping waters of Sut-
ter creek in 1848. He found gold but.
his good fortune until his wife threw
the weighty pebble into a kettle Of
lye and allowed 1t to remain there
over night In the morning the dross
had been dissipated and at the bot
tom Of the pot was a shining nugget
whose character could not be mistak-
en-. That started the rush that drew
hundreds OF thousands from all quar-
ters of the universe. But every
school child of the coast knows what
ensued.
Australia owes its wonderful gold
mines to chance and the energy of
its convicts who tore down their
prisons when they heard of the find
Wing of hundred-pound yellow mug
get. South Africa repeated this ex-
perience and almost every camp in
the memory Of the present genera
tion emphasizes the old prospec-
tors adage that "gold is where you
find it,
Coming closer to home 1t is clear
that the Couer d'Alenes would have
remained mystery OF nature had it
not been for the burro that the Ida.
no courts credit with an interest in
the Bunker Hill and Sullivan, the
parent discovery Of the greatest lead
silver mines on record. George War
rem. who died in penury, is the
father OF the copper mines of Bisbee.
but he never pretended that he knew
anything of the value of his find
when he disposed of it to the Cop
per Queen company. Dawson had its
foundation in the fussing around of
a little French Canadian from Chat
eauguary county, New York, where
they would not know gold If they
saw it. and his discoveries were con-
firmed by Sam Mcdonald. a giant
from Aspen, Colorado. who knew of
nothing but mines. The vulture. of
Hassayampa, one Of the greatest pos
sessions of Arizona. was located by
an ignorant Mexican, who gained
nothing from its millions beyond
little ephemeral glory.
To review the prospecting history
of the country would be to indulge
IN tiresome reiteration of the fore
going facts, but to come back to Colo
RADIO. where they propose to estab-
lish a scientific prospecting bureau.
1t Ia we'll to mention that Leadville
owes its glories to Tabor and August
Rischie. neither of whom knew any
thing about mineral until they found
themselves In the foreground of OWL
ership. They found gold, but Lead
Vile made its major millions out of
lead carbonates and then came back
to silver with relapse to gold dur
ing 1898. and now it is known as
one of the largest producers of zinc
on the continent.
The find OF Harry Stimler. which
made Goldfield, is another one of the
idiosyncracies OF adventure. Here on
the desert within ten miles of the
famous mines of Montezuma. whose
ores were worked forty years ago
and shipped to Swansea, Wales, for
reduction. the greatest gold camp on
earth lay exposed on the desert with
almost pure gold on the surface
Yet Goldfield was not discovered un-
til eight years ago. Tonopah owes
its origin to the instinct of burro
who kicked up enough dust to con-
vince Jim Butler. his owner, that
there was more beneath the surface
than the eye OF man could conceive.
Shorty Harris brought out the wealth
of the Bullfrog country, but he did
not know what he was revealing
when he made the strike that re.
sounded from Boston to Seattle.
Cripple Creek was another gold ac-
cident. Fifteen years before the ex-
citement of 1891 lot of bunco
steerers came down from Leadyille
and salted the ground. Then they
went back to the carbonate camp and
proclaimed their discovery through
the occult channels that reach the
ears Of the most ignorant. The re-
suit was stampede down Ute pass.
1t is estimated that at least 5000
people poured into what was then
known as the Mount Pisgah district
in single day. As3ayers with out.
fits were in the class, and the
class and the imposition was quick.
ly exposed. Then the thousands took
thoir wov ynotrnful1v nvor tha hack