Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1913-05-02

In order to secure water in abundance, the
Santa Fe railroad had ordered tunnel bored III
the Clipper range, located In San Bernardlno
county from eight to ten miles northwest OF
Dandy the station to which it was to be piped II
discovered in a large quantity. This all happened
within a score of years. The man who volun-
teered for the work, competent mining man,
who was well acquainted with the sinking OF
shafts and the boring of tunnels was Thomas
Schofield of Los Angeles.
firing of work one day in early June Of 1894,
he started on prospecting trip something which
he did whenever he felt In need OF relaxation
He wandered into one of the canyons close at
hand and discovered there spring. What to
him was more surprising and even startling was
the trail that led up the canyon, stopping at the
watering place.
The trail, at times very indistinct because OF
the solid rock formation, led over three or four
small hills the hogback Of two ranges and-t
into another canyon. This he followed until It
ended in blank wall and he realized that the
trail had been lost Going back short distance
he discovered it winding up the side of the HILL
It led to two immense rocks, rivaling the towers
of an old English castle. They seemed to form
the portal to the wealth beyond, and nature had
set them SO closely together that they allowed
just sufficient passageway to permit burro well
packed to enter.
And Just beyond the portal stood an isolated
rock There beside the black boulder of enor-
nous size stood the shreds of what had been .
camp. The wooden upright supports were still
standing and draped from them, floating in the
breeze, were the shreds of what had been
tent. Brush had been carefully piled up around
the sides. Inside there was a bench Of boughs,
still covered with blanket which was, like the
tent covering, dilapidated and ragged The st1ls-
ness of the place and the fact that man had been
making his habitation there struck Schofeld like
q blow from fist.
pile of railroad ties number Of rusty old
axes which had been used as wedges for splitting
the ties for tagging, few other mining tools
and some badly decomposed food still lay about
the place. indicating very sudden abandonment
| of the camp by its owner. The most conspicuous
of all things about the place was an oldfashioned
heavily rusted Dutch oven. the largest Schofeld
had ever seen and trife over two feet In diam
eter. So oppressive was the place and so nerve
racking the immediate strain, that he continued
on the trail which led away from the camp.
| Just short distance away he came to shaft
! where considerable work had been done. 1t was
sunk upon series Of small stringers that ran
parallel to one another for long distance and
at intervals of about six inches He counted
twelve of these peculiar formations in the rock
and they were of almost solid gold! He tested
| them, morning great strings of coarse gold
The surrounding was Of an indigo-bue
quartz formation, and Ito the stringers, pass
| ing through the dark porphyry, appeared bed OF
roses of golden hues hidden in the depths OF
giant bed of violets," said Schofied in telling Of
1 these lines
ore for a distance of nearly 5000 feet, and found
them widening and enlarging as they went. They
interested me so that failed to notice for hours
| that the day fast waning and that would be
forced to remain there over night
1.-The mystery, the awe and even the fear Of
that night shall never forget Was / in the
haunt of robber crew VINO had found wealth far
richer than could be obtained from their nefar-
ious trade in the city? Had the owners been
cruelty murdered and their wealth carried off by
some one else? Was the victim of some strange
| phantasmagoria, would ! awaken to find all
the wealth and the adventure Of the day dream?
These and countless other suggestions coursed
through my throbbing brain, and slept little that
night.
In the morning / explored the shaft at the
first light OF breaking sun above the jagged sky
line Of broken peaks. found that the shaft had
been sunk to possibly seventy or eighty feet that
| it was equipped with wndlass, rope and bucket
and that 1t had been well timbered all the way
! to the bottom Outside discovered large pile
of ore indicative of the fact that little of
the product of the mine had ever been carried
away.
after gathering number of fine samples and
large quantity of the horned gold, went back
to the camp and there again / was attracted by
the Dutch oven. Something seemed to draw me
toward it. It contained gold Half of 1t was full
of the product and there was unable to cart it
away. All marks Of those who resided there were
| OF such an old stamp that never thought Wnetn-
er 1t would be right wrong. The idea OF pos
session of so much wealth nearly overwhelmed
me- and after grasping some OF it started back
| to the camp by the tunnel, planning trip to Los
Angeles to see whether it really gold that
had found"
And when Schofeld had his ore and his metal
tested he found that 1t was the real article and
that he had made himself richer by several hun
dred dollars with just the small amount he had
been able to lug out on his person. It fired him
with the desire to return at once and obtain all
of the treasure If the right owners had not re-
turned. But he has never been able to get back
1 to the Dutch oven!
/ In coming back from the mine he had paid lit
tie heed to the general direction taken He had
/ followed the trail blndly his way up and
/ again on his return journey. Consequently after
q number of weeks. when he returned with part
| ner to look for the treasure and found that some
terrific rains and even Waterspout mad Deen