Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1913-02-28

S<XT~ NIX he ul6TCSG CUduCGS
WV IN have resulted in the discov-
Is Y ~ cry of the great lodes of
W-0N gold and silver bearing ore.
The accidental finding of small mug
get in the crop of a chicken was mo-
mentous. 1t was the beginning OF
series of explorations that unlocked
chain of treasure vaults in the Rocky
Mountains. The remark of hunter
| the subsequent sinking of well and
the accidental meeting of four men.
constituted a chain of events that re-
vealed the greatest single deposit or
ore ever known. The kick of donkey
uncovered ledge from which millions
have been taken.
The man who seeks wealth in the
| mines, knowing what he is hunting
| for stumbles across 1t at the most
| unexpected moment If he recognizes
what he is looking for he is In a fair
way to become rich.
| Sawmil That Opened Up the West.
! In January, 1S4S, near Sacramento
| California, James Marshall of New
! Jersey constructed for James Suffer
most famous sawmill in history 1t
| quickened the pulse Of the world. 1t
| revived the sluggish streams Of COM
MERGE 1t made men fighting mad. 1t
resulted in wiping the buffalo and the
! Indian from the great plains. 1t filled
| the Pacific ocean with ships where
previously but few sails had been
seen. 1t caused the building of rail
roads, and laid the way for future
| millionaires.
The mill was built of logs. Marshall
| carefully selected point for the tall
race, and because he decided that
| time could be saved in completing the
mill by permitting a flow of water to
clear the mill-race OF the soft dirt,
his name became linked with the adj
vance of the western states. The wa
| ter was turned in and, after running
| for several days, the head-gate was
closed, to complete other necessary
work. Then Marshall noticed few
shining specks in the banks of the
race. He took a step forward, gasped,
halted, flushed and laughed at himself
\
uary 10, 184S, he stepped into the tall
race and picked up a few pieces of
brassy-colored metal. He showed
them to the men at the mill. They all
laughed He pounded one piece un-
der hammer He placed them in his
! pocket
Throw them away, Marshall" said
| 1nts
mill turning"
The next day Marshall rode into
Sacramento and refining his foam
fecked horse in front Of Suffers
store. Suffer to a rear room, the door
of which he locked
"Do you know gold when you see
it?"
NO. Why?"
Then Marshall produced the brassy
bits They hammered out a piece
the size of half-dollar, and weighed
it in scales against silver 50-cen'
piece. 1t was heavier. They tested II
with acids They decided it was gold
Together they returned to the mill
and before night had gathered pan
full of coarse gold nuggets.
When they did that they tapped the
top of the treasure-vault of the West
ern States. The news of that find
populated the Pacific Coast. flame
of excitement ran up and down the
Sacramento Valley 1t reached the
four corners of the earth. People
came from everywhere. Those few
specks of gold found in the mill-race
at Columa, in Eldorado county, were
the first of production of $1,750000,
600 that California was to yield! Then
followed the hordes that travelled te
the new gold coast by sea, around the
Horn, and across the plains. fighting
Indians and wild beast and uncover
ing other mining camps that made the
western states famous Between 1S4S
and 1869 California produced more
gold than had been gained in all OF
North and South America in the pre-
vious two centuries.
Finding of the Comstock Lode.
The chance remark of a hunter, fol
lowed by the accidental meeting OF
four men, is responsible for the un
covering of the most sensational body
of ore in the history OF mining. Pros
pectors swarmed all over the state OF
Nevada in 1859. They were men who
had failed to find wealth in California
reinforced by immigrants who lacked
the money to go farther. A hunter
whose name is not known, told Pat
Mclaughlin that. there were mineral
indications on Gold Hill. They found
the place-and an outcrop, but no
mineral, The ground had been pros
pected before and deserted
1t was discouraging. They worked
without result. They decided to sink
well in depression. At depth OF
four feet they ran across some black
looking stuff that puzzled them. They
washed some of 1t in rocker" and
were amazed to find the bottom of the
rocker "alive" with gold In a few
moments the men were making fifty
dollars al aonr In the midst of this