The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1915-06-26
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THRILLING DAYS OF '49
RECALLED TO MIND

Stories of fabulous finds in Nevada
hills were formally brought to the
eastern cities, and many deemed them
works of fiction. It has been supposed
that these days of the finding of large
pockets of gold nuggets were about
over, and that with her wealth of ag-
ricultural resources Nevada had for
gotten the old time miner with his
pick and shovel. But today down at
the Mayer hotel a group of prospect
ore came in at sunrise, weary and worn
and travel stained and asked for a
place to wash and to rest for a while.
Il happened to be the reporters good
fortune to be astir early and to be his
great good luck to be there when the
three miners retired to a room and
opened the bag that held the dust and
nuggets that they had spent such hard
ships to obtain. Thev were from the
neighborhood of Mountain City and
had come to Elko by easy stages. trav-
cling only at night, when the roads
were safe from marauders, only one of
them sleeping at a time during a few
hours of the daytime, and then far
away from the road, where they were
apt to be undisturbed, while the others
watched
' When they had locked themselves
and the reporter in the room at the
hotel, they carefully covered theetable
with heavy papers, removed their six
shooters, laying them carefully at
hand ready for istant use, and then
one of them took from inside his
clothes somewhere dingy bag inside
which were two cinnamon cans. Care
fully opening one of these he turned
its contents out upon the table: and
what sight Gold, yellow and spark
ling, some almost as dark as copper
and other humps that crumbled when
you touched it. due to having been
amalgamated with mercury which IS
used to remove it from the sluices.
What picture it would have made
for moving picture outft-the three
rugged miners sitting there with their
pistols ready at hand, two facing the
two doors and the third with his face
towards the window, all three faces
wearing the look of care that men bear
when under a strain; their eallousad
hands bespeaking long hours of hard
toll with pick and shovel, their clothes
sprinkled still with the alkah dust of
the road Silently the reporter sat and
watched them as they divided the
contents of the one can into three piles.
and then the reporter held pieces of
paper while the miners drew lots for
the heaps of gold on the table. And
then the other can, filed with dust,
went through the process of being Iii
vided and then from somewhere in the
dark corner. one of the miners dug
ont what appeared to be a salt sack,
and when this was emptied upon the
table, it was seen to be entirely of
gold dust and smaller particles. This,
too. was divided among the three
Later the three miners viii take
their shares to the bank where they
win receive what it is worth in money
and then the hank win send il to an
other bank in San Francisco which will
sell il to the mint
The person who imagines that the
good old prosperous days for Nevada
are abohut over is mistaken-thev are
Just beginning. The hills are full of
minerals, the mountains are teeming
with treasures untouched by the hand
of men. and vast sections of the state
are splendidly adapted for agricultural
development. being underlaid in many
sections with underhows of water
which lie within few feet Of the sur
face.-Flko Free Press.