The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1913-05-02


In order TO secure water In abundance, the
Santa Fe railroad had ordered a tunnel bored I'm
the Clipper range, located In San Bernardno
county from eight TO ten miles northwest OF
Dandy, the station to which It was to be piped II
discovered in large quantity. This all happened
within a OF years. The man who yolun-
teered for the work competent mining man,
who was well acquainted with the sinking OF
shafts and the boring OF tunnels. Thomas
Schoheld OF Los Angeles.
Tlring OF work 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 OF the canyons close at
hand and discovered there a spring. What TO
him was more surprising and startling was
the trail that led up the canyon stopping at the
watering place.
The trail. at times very indstlnct because OF
the solid rock formation led over three four
small hills the hogback OF two ranges and then
into another canyon. This he followed until II
ended in blank wall and he realized that the
trail had been lost Going back a short distance
he discovered It winding up the side OF the hill.
II 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
bust sufficient passageway to permit burro we'll
packed TO enter.
And Just beyond the portal stood isolated
rock. There beside the black boulder Of enor-
nous size stood the shreds OF what had been
camp The wooden upright supports stn
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 still
ness Of the place and the fact that man had been
making his habitation there struck Schofed like
n blow from fist
A pile OF railroad ties. number or rusty old
which had been used as wedges for splitting
the ties for tagging. a few other mining tools
and some badly decomposed food still lay about
the place indicating very sudden abandonment
OF the camp by it's owner The most conspicuous
OF all things about the place odfashoned
heavily rusted Dutch oven, the largest Schoneld
had ever seen and trine 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 n shaft
where considerable work had been done II was
sunk upon series Of small stringers that ran
parallel TO one another for a 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 lie tested
them, 'horning" great strings OF coarse gold.
The surrounding was OF an iudigoblue
quartz formation, and 'to me the strngers, pass
ing through the dark porphyry, appeared a bed OF
roses Of golden hues hidden I'm the depths OF n
giant bed OF volets" said Schofeld In telling OF
his discovery, II traced these lines OF high-grade
ore for distance Of nearly 1900 feet, and found
them widening and enlarging they went They
interested that failed to notice FOR hours
that the day fast waning and that would be
forced to remain there over night.
THE mystery the awe and even the fear OF
that night | shall never forget. Was I in the
haunt OF a robber crew who 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 of by
some one else? Was the victim Of some strange
phantasmagoria, or would | awaken TO find all
the wealth and the adventure OF the day a 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. I found that the shaft had
been sunk to possibly seventy or eighty feet that
! II was equipped with n wndlass, rope and bucket
! and that II had been we'll tlmbered all the way
! 60 the bottom Outside discovered n large pile
OF ore indicative of the fact that little or OF
/ the product OF the mine had been carried
away.
After gathering a 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 &C. II contained gold, Half OF II full
\ OF the product and there was | unable To cart Il
| OF such an old stamp that never thought wheth
er IL would be right or wrong The idea OF pos
session OF much wealth nearly overwhelmed
me, and after graspng some OF Il | started back
10 the camp by the tunnel, planning trip TO Los
| Angeles TO whether IL really gold that |
had found"
And when Schoheld had his ore and his metal
tested he found that Il 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 his person II fired him
| with the desire 20 return at once and obtain all
OF the treasure II the right owners had not re-
turned. But he has never been able TO get back
20 the Dutch oven
In coming back from the mine he had paid 1T.
tie heed TO the general direction taken. He had
| followed the trail blindly on his way mp and
again on his return Journey Consequently after
number of weeks. when he returned with part.
ner to look for the treasure and found that some