El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-08-03
MINING NEWS
Prospectors Say They Dis
covered Fabulous Wealth
Only to Lose 1t.
RY H. DAVIS

writeup on the Quitman mountain min
ing district, in EI Paso county. L note
that mention was briefly made to tie
probable existence there of gold" says
A. H. Parker. ex-county surveyor, and
I am reminded OF an interesting incl
dent which convinces we that some
day rich gold discovery will be re-
ported from those mountains.
1T is the story of a lost gold mine
right in our own Ell Paso county that
is of equal interest and more prODaOll-
ity than the stories OF the 4ost NlSser
Ben mine of Arizona; the LOST ADAMS
mine, of New Mexico or the IOSt SUD
let gold mine, of the GuadaIupes, IN
| Texas. In my younger DAYS l mined
| in California, Utah, nevada and finally
in the Gunsite district, Arizona, ana
naturally during all that time not only
heard many wierd tales OF lost gold
mines, but even made few eXpedl-
lions in search of them.
The Visit of Stranger.
"One day about 20 years ago there
came into my oftlce a stranger VINO
seated himself quietly by the stove
and watched me while l was making
map for a waiting client He was
a tall, rawboned man, with rough,
face, featured like typical lnqian
chief, with a pair of keen steel blue
eyes, which were fixed on me as if
air and cautious and almost Suspicious
look of the stranger fascinated me. L
knew he was an old time prospector, a
type that has almost disappeared The
county surveyors office ever since the
first mining law of Texas was passed
in 1883, has been a branch of the gen
eral land office and bureau of in
formation for prospectors and miners,
and such visits were Of frequent oc-
currence.
THE stranger announced himself as
W. W. Williams and stated that he had
Nv ersna 10
mining regions OF Arkansas and Mis-
souri,, having recently learned that
Texas has a new mining law. After
wards he was associated with Prof h
NJ. Skeates and myself in mining in
the Quitmans.
have returned here, said Will
liams, after many years absence to
hunt for and locate a gold diggings &C
cidentally discovered while I was
with a party of surveyors, running
some lines for a railroad company. 1t
was in 1875. The chief engineer was
Ward Blanchard, of Ysleta- At that
time this section was infested by the
hostile ApacheS. l had been in num-
pahoS and COmancheS, and according
~ was not very timid about the
Apaches.
Leaving Ysleta, we proceeded
down the valley until we came to old
Fort Quitman, which was about Is
miles below where Fort Hancock is. 1t
troops. From there we went north
east about eight or 10 miles, into the
southwestern portion OF the Quitman
mountains. We had some YSIeta in
claimed there was a spring of water
IN a canyon there, Which caused us
10 leave the road We had been follow
ing.
Gold Discovery in sand.
We found tie spring and pitched
camp nearby. Ihat afternoon the in
nmmn o D Il
in the gulch and brought it to the
spring and panned ii in a batea and
sot 4 long string OF gold. some OF II
cited. None OF US at that time had
had experience in gold mining, but 1
had heard CalIfOrnians say that placer
sold was caused by erosion of veins
On the mountains and subsequent con-
centration in the beOS OF the gulches,
through Jhe action oil water. Accord
ingly, 1 determined to prospect q lit
tie IN the higher placeS Tor some vein.
tlnaliy my search was rewarded On
a ridge some distance Up L found 4
vein OF quartz which was very rich in
native gold. L was alone ana hastily
rroke OF several samples OF the gilt
tering rock and wrapped them IN a
handkerchief. L placed a couple OF
mOunOs OF rock TO mark the place.
From the spot, which was on an en-
inence, looking souJnwestWard 1 could
plainly see the water OF the Rio
Granue and tne nag floating on old
Fort Qutman, and to the nOrthward 1
saw the Two pyraInidaI Wnlt1Sh gray
peaks which are called Sierra Blanca
peaks As the sun descended over the
distant range Oh the Amargaza noun
tains in Mexico 1 made my way back
to camp. our indian guides soon
came in from the mountains with a
deer they had KILLED and announced
that they had seen = party OF Apaches
coming in the distance from the
north ana that they believed they
were coming 10 camp at our spring.
Ran from the Indians.
Hastily packing our outfit, we
rode away rapidly in the darkness
till we struck the old rOau again and
continued nearly all night till We
came 10 Eagle Springs. Indian signs
became so plentiful that the survey
ing party concluded ~ quit and re-
turn to sleta. l have never seen any
of the surveying party since, and have
learned that Ward Blanchard is dead.
L Joined a party and went - S.-n An
tonic, Tex. Some time afterward 1 ex-
hibited my gold samples in san An
tonic and party was organized to
gold discovery.
Attacked by Indians.
We made the journey, about 500
miles. On entering the Quitman noun
tains we we've surprised and attacked
by a band of indians, but made our
escape after two of our party were
killed.
williams Return.
After all these years, during which
I have mined in the Rocky mountains
and have seen many gold mines. I
have come back to revisit the scene of
my discovery. In all my experiences I
have never seen j ledge so rich in gold
as the one I found that time. I know
1 can go right to the place, and when
L have located some claims 1 shall re-
turn to see you with the proof
Gaining the desired information in
the surveyors office, and equipped
with maps of the lands in the Quit
man mountains, and location notices.
Williams left on the Texas q Pacific
train for Lasca station. After a few
weeks he returned to FL PasO, report
ing that he had gone to the mountains
and found what he supposed to be the
very place But the spring had either
died up or been buried, and although
the ridge and other landmarks looked
familiar still he had been unable to
find the vein. Then he had assembled
other canyons and other ridges, and
somehow they all looked alike TO him.
The more he looked around the moro
he became bewildered and mystified.
Becomes Victim of PraEmataEOtia.
Williams soon realized he was an
other victim of the Elusive lure of the
hills of gold, and was simply adding
another chapter TO the stories of lost
gold mines. He feared he was af-
flicted with the faulty so prevalent
among prOspectOrs-what the psychOl-
ogists term pragmatagn or object
,F i'll