The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-10-19
LOST Mine WORTH
MILLIONS SOUGHT
One Man Has Kept Secret
Location of Hidden b.
nanza for 40 Years.

RENO. New. Oct. 19.-After forty
years Of speculation as to the loca-
ton of the famous Barclay mine. a
systematic search Is to be made for
the vein of ore which is said to run
10000 to the ton. One man has for
forty years kept the secret OF the hid
den bonanza.
This became known with the filing
OF q ten-year lease of the Hobard
ranch of $500 acres, partly in Was
hoe county, on the west side of Was
hoe lake. The lease was made by the
Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber Co.
to Col. w. 8. Preskey and associates.
The recording of lease begins the sec
ond chapter in the famous tradition
OF the golden storehOuse which has
been for years the vain hope of count
less prospectors. Colonel Preskey's
associates are John 3. Casserly, OF
San Francisco, son of former United
States senator, and Richard yelling,
of New York Sufficient financial
backing Is apparent. and already five
experienced prospectors are laying
out the tract in sections, each Of which
will be gone over literally with the
point of q pick, unless in the mean
time the discovery is made through
negotiations now said to be pending.
Only one man knows the location OF
the mine. and he won't tell. 1t Is pos
sible that the same man who In the
face OF history Of defeat secured the
lease from the Hobart estate may be
able to secure from him the map he
has jealously guarded for forty years.
The history of the mine is one OF
the fireside tales of California and
Nevada miners, and generations have
yearned to find the spot where the
wealth of metal lies. OF late years
no such opportunity has been possible
fir the Hobart estate has maintained
guards to watch for prospectors and
warn them off the grounds
It was as far back as the sixties
when the first tales were told. An
old recluse OF the mountain came fire.
quently into Washoe and Franklin and
among the Indians bearing with him
anchors and crosses of beaten copper.
They were made OF native copper and
their size indicated that they were
taken from q place where the metal
lay In huge blocks. Many of the old
residents Of Washoe still retain some
OF these crudely made specimens. In
the seventies and eighties man re-
later to Barclay brought in large
quantity Of pure native copper In
sacks. but he. too, refused to divulge
the hiding place.
Kept the Secret.
About twelve years ago one of the
Barclays and a man named Wilbur,
while out hunting found native copper
and free gold, but they would not d.
vulge the secret, for the estate would
not prospect fully or mine there. From
all OF these experiences came the tradi-
ton that somewhere is some hidden
ravine. possibly covered over by the
original discoveries because they fail
ed to get terms from the estate, are
chunks of native copper as sib as pi-
ana boxes and imbedded in these is
gold, free and in nuggets. that makes
the value one.tenth Of a million dol
lars q ton.
With the publication OF the finds,
mining men began working on the OBJ
durate managers of the estate for the
right to prospect. They failed. Such
men as Senator Sharon. Governor
Thomas, of Colorado: Senator Nixon.
tho Yerringtons. A. NJ. Ardery and for.
mer secretary of State w. G. Conglass
all began negotiations that never clos
ed successfully. The land was pros
tor proof. 1t was patented in 1878. and
the title Ia traced back to Sioux half
breed script which is considered bed
rock.
The discovery of the mine in the
next year would mean the enrichment
of the state to an quail extent as the
discovery of the mines in Tonopah and
Goldfield The mine has always been
considered Of equal promise as the
Comstock, Tonopah or Goldaeld.