Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1913-05-07
Sd<5<5E5sES5<1< H<5<5<TEs5<1&1<1$
\ Lost Mines Of the Great Southwest

By Joe Minister
From Data Furnished by Horace J. West
54% copyright by Ridgway Coz

~
Il ~ copyright by
&fSFssE=F=E$E@EzEl
yS&s ~ HEN the railroads built their trans
s9E5 - continental systems, one Of their
sEst greatest difficulties lay in the sup
s55sIJA = ply OF water for the men who were
Kan ~ Z Il working on the projects. Great
D IL IS .s wagon-trans were frequently es-
\ 1aSaeSaEH sential to bring sufficient OF the
- f984& supply to make work for week at
Il "a time possible. Even after the
9sE&& completion Of the roads there was
5sSsA;ES difficulty in obtaining water for the
purpose of supplying the engines or
the little stations necessary wher-
sve. there was a siding 55s$5 {1 nv III
Ia order to secure water in abundance, tho
V Santa Fe railroad had ordered a tunnel bored in
.sthe Clipper range. located in San Bernardino
county from eight to ten miles northwest OF
~ Dandy the station to which it was to be piped II
discovered in a large quantity This all happened
within q score Of years. The man who svolun-
teered for the work. a competent mining man.
who was well acquainted with the sinking OF
shafts and the boring Of tunnels. was Thomas
- Echofeld OF Los Angeles {sf z4$
firing Of work one day in early June Of 1894,
he started on aprospecting trip. something which
he did whenever he felt In need of relaxation.
n He wandered into one Of the canyons close at
i: hand and discovered there "a spring. What to
a him was more surprising and even startling was
e the trail that led up the canyon. stopping at the
watering place. II "a fs5S 81
The trail, at times very indistinct because OF
Il the solid rock formation, led over three or four
& small hills. the hogback OF two ranges and then
v into another canyon This he followed until 1t
ended in 4 blank wall and he realized that the
4 trail had been lost Going back short distance
. he discovered It winding up the side Of the hill.
~ lied 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
81 set them 80 closely together that they allowed
1nst sum Client passageway TO permit "a burro well
packed TO enter. 81
And Just beyond the. portal stood an isolated
rock. There beside the black boulder of enor-
Il nous size stood the shreds bof what had been q
4 camp The wooden upright supports were still
standing and draped from them, floating in the
4 breeze. were the shreds of what had been
81 tent. Brush had been carefully piled up around
the sides. Inside there was "a bench OF boughs.
still covered with q blanket, which was like the
tent covering. dilapidated and ragged The still-
ness Of the place and the fact that MIN had been
making his habtation there struck schoheld like
. blow from a fist u s :;s q
4 A pile Of railroad ties, q number Of rusty old
axes which had been used as wedges for splitting
the ties for tagging q few other mining tools
4 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 an old-fashioned.
y heavily rusted Dutch oven, the largest schoneld
had ever seen and q trife over two feet in diam
IL Z, traii th.+ Nc .cont,nnod
y N the ~ fron tho
= d.+a no ~ ~ 10 -, - Oh. =
49,. 80 ~ -. M ors ~ haan. da,,s y ~.
49,. 1900. -, . n sti,, 80, p4hat sra
=. 90 -. = 100, AIT. 80
- =, .hnt - I, s, :, ~ IS ao,,,tad
tyyairs =, tha.a nec,ii.- torrn 4, INC roc
]. ~ - or - .I1,n+ so,,d tIa +astad
!. e. sn1a F
snrro,,n d II Nc 20 ~ hive
forra ma 10 :, strn core =. a.
ssnv1 npI tha dark nornhvrv anneared !. he'd ~
L yosaa ~ enIdan huea hidden IL the dentha ~ =
M ~ vinlataI .ad ala n telInp ~
Ria dacnvarv n traced these lines ~ hieh.rrade
ora IN distance n & nm feet ana fn,,n,l
Il fta,n ,fdenin1 ma anIareinp - thev vant ,rhev
fntera.ted maso that = fsiled ~ notice for hours
th.t M dav va fast vanine and that 1 would be
n forced n there over nieI,t l
.r,.. - : 80, ~.
- = 80, r s,t ~ az
- = hha. u r. - a. a.
=, aa,d - "a $50, 49, na,..
san. +-ada 4, atha c;ty, ia tha o.nar. haa,
80 ,, : 49, =. :, = - ~ -, -. ~, $3.50 "a, -
a.a 49,, W.. = .ha ,ot 49,. =, $500,
~ q 49, - - - 49, =;
~. =, tha 49,, =
II "a =,
80 80 = $3.50 ,,.t,s az. "
- 5 go s1S,5
175.Tn ~. ~, = * il. - 49,
49, 1;ht - h.aai,n S., ho, 4.ara -
49,; - hrosan a,s.l. ~ ,o,nd tt.+ the sh - haa
se, - rnssihIv .avanty - a,.hty rat 2+haI
It was equipped with a windlass rope and bucket
ana tnat y nad oeen wen tlmDereo al ttne way
49, my i,t.,a -