Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1913-05-09

sential to bring sufficient Of the
rs 81 supply to make work for a week at
- time possible. Even after the
z~R completion of the roads there was
SxTx3 difficulty in obtaining water for the
AS8 purpose of supplying the engines or
the little stations necessary wher-
ever there was siding.
In order to secure water in abundance. tho
Santa Fe railroad had ordered tunnel bored in
the 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 large quantity. This all happened
within q score of years. The man who volun-
t&ered for the work, competent mining man,
WHO was well acquainted with the sinking Of
a4afts and the boring of tunnels, was Thomas
>Bfhofeld of Los Angeles
firing Of work one day in early June Of 1894,
ne 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 moe surprising and even startling was
the trail that led up the canyon, stopping at the
watering place.
The trail, at times very indistnct because Of
the solid rock formation, led three or four
small hills the hogback of two ranges and then
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 rvaling the towers
of old English castle They seemed to form
the portal to the wealth beyond and nature had
set them closely together that they allowed
5ust sufficient passageway to permit burro we'll
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
A-S nS1oI
the Sides Inside there was a bench of boughs,
still covered with a 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 habtation there struck Schofeld like
. blow from fist
A pile of railroad ties, a number of rusty ole
axes 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 its owner. The most conspicuous
of all things about the place was an old-fashioned,
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 a series of small stringers that
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! He tested
them, morning" great strings of coarse gold
The surrounding ore was of an indigo-blue
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 Schofield in telling of
his discovery. IT traced these lines of high-grade
ore for distance Of nearly 5000 feet, and found
them widening and enlarging as they went. They
(uto oN mo at n notice
that the day was 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-
fous 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, would / awaken to hnd all
the wealth and the adventure Of the day dream?
These and countless other suggestions coursed
through my throbbing brain, and slept little that
might.
"In tho morning explored the shaft at the
Nlrst light of breaking sun above the Jagged sky
fine of broken peaks. found that the shaft had
been sunk to possibly seventy a. eighty feet that
1t was equipped with windlass, rope and bucket
and that it had been well timbered all the way
to the bottom. Outside discovered a large pile
OF ore indicative Of the fact that little or none OF
the product Of the mine had ever been carried
away.
AFTER gathering number Of fine samples and
q 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, 1t contained gold! Half of 1t was full
of the product and there was unable to cart 1t
away All marks of those who resided there were
OF such an old stamp that never thought wheth-
or 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 was 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. 1t fired him
with the desire to 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
TO the Dutch oven!
In coming back from the mine he had paid lit
de heed to the general direction taken. He had
followed the trail blindly on his way up and
again on his return journey. Consequently after