The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-11-25
FORMER EDITOR HEARD FROM.
Continued From Page One)

doned machines for washing this sand.
He had mined in Alaska and done it at
a profit, but said he believed more
money had been spent in buying and
working claims than had been taken
out of that country.
1t is curious, he said, that people
would put money in mining projects
that they had not investigated, not
showing the same sense they would in
ordinary investments. He told of one
company that had been organized to
take dredge and work a certain river
in Alaska. The dredge was an expensive
piece of machinery and the getting of
it to the place to be worked cost mint
of money. Arrived there they for the
first time, apparently bethought them
selves as to whether there was any sand
in the river to dredge. They found it
rock bottom stream. Luckily they
found a stream not very far away in
which they put the dredge to work at
profit, but it was more good luck
than good management.
One day last winter as I was sitting
in the local hotel couple of travel
stained gents came in, Ordinarily |
would have taken them for hoboes.
Their clothes were well worn and they
were covered with mud. But from the
way the proprietor sprang to meet
them and steer them to the wash room
it was easy to see they were not tramps.
They made considerable hard work
over their toilets, evidently finding the
ways Of civilization complex and intri-
cate. When it came to the paper
towels, they baked and would use their
red pocket handkerchiefs until the pro-
prietor dug up a bath towel.
All the while they were talking OF
their strike, not out and out, but in
the manner of boy who has secret
and wants to tantalize his companions.
One was an elderly man and the other
much younger. The older one would
whack his pocket and exclaim "Well,
we have the real thing and laugh.
When this no longer excited curiosity
he would pull a canvas bag out of his
pocket and eye it surreptitiously and
then put it back. Finally he took out
small bottle with nuggets and gold
grains in it and showed it to few
which few gradually became many.
Finally he could not tell enough
about his strike. He said he had with
his son taken out three thousand dol
lars in one month s time. He was now
going to put in better equipment and
take out the gold in quantity. Many
scoffed at his story at the time and he
is now generally recognized as joke.
He simply wanted to sell his mining
claim.
There are a few miners hereabouts
who go out for few months and then
come back and live on what they have
panned out. They live economically
and manage to loaf about half OF the
time. Such man told me that IN min
ing the dirt that clings to the miner Is
bootc occasionally becomes valuable.
The best gold is on bedrock and
naturally this is where mans hsel
sinks to walking to and fro on the rud-
DIV top of the rock a miner s feet some
times absorb considerable riches. For
this reason the path to his cabin and
the dirt that Sits between the cracks
of the floor occasionally yield pay for
the washing.
In one place $4,000 in gold was
taken from placer claim. Afterward
100000 was spent in the same place
in trying to get more.
There is gold grains scattered all
through this section and the miner who
likes to reason the thing out knows that
this comes from lode somewhere.
Where, is the question. Numbers of
men in the small cities in these parts
wo~1 at some calling or other in order
to get money to enable them to go out
again and search for this lode.
There are golden grains scattered all
through a certain section of Curry
county. The prospector who prides
himself on his ability to locate lode
by reasoning, says dill IHls ul1I1 gnu
comes from one place. So he follows
the beds Of the streams, the slopes of
the land. Hundreds of him, have been
doing this stunt for some time past and
the hunting is still good.
A favorite scheme of the jewelers.
of this section is to mount the polish
ed agates Of local production with To-
cal gold.
The soil of Southern Oregon is strewn
with agates as raisins occur In plum
pudding. They find them in the dry
country east of the Cascades. Here
they find them in river beds and wher-
ever there is gravel.
A favorite place to hunt for them is
on the beach, The storms of the wet
season beat upon the shore constantly
changing it and wherever fresh gravel
is uncovered the agate is found. Many
Of them are found when they have
been worn smooth by the action of the
water on the sand. But the freshest
of the beach agates are found en-
casnd in q coating of white chalk