The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-03-28
STORY OF TOMMY CRUISE
FOUND DRUM LuMM0N
RECALLED Bv DEATH OF MAN
WHO GAVE HIM PLACER
CLAIM.


Thomas Cruise on his way to wealth
Is dead. His name was William
Brown, and he had been tireless
prospector of the Silver creek country
for more than half a century. 1t is
related that more than 80 years ago
Tommy Cruise came to Silver creek
prospecting. He stopped in Browns
cabin. Brown was lonesome and
wanted company, SO he offered Cruise
one of his claims If he would remain.
Cruise accepted, and with his char
acteristic energy, went to work. He
managed to make just fair pay out Of
his diggings. He noticed that the gold
he took from the bedrock of his claim
was frequently attached to peculiar
quartz. He spoke to Brown about the
circumstances and expressed the opin-
ion that somewhere in the neighbor-
hood was mother lode of gold
quartz, the source of these specimens,
Cruise determined to prospect for the
quartz and invited Brown to be his
partner.
No Faith in Quartz.
But Brown was placer miner, and
did not believe in.quartz. or in mining
theory. He believed that gold was
where one found it. He considered
that quartz mining was a game for the
man with money. and that placer min
ing afforded the only opportunity for
the poor man.
What will you do with quartz when
you find it?" he asked Cruise. you
will have to have money with which
to build mill, and to pay the miners
for getting out the ore. I'll stick to
my placer claim. You can have the
quartz"
So he threw away his chance to
make "a great fortune. Cruise went
quartz hunting. After seasons hard
work he found the mother lode, but as
is well known, the water drove him
out. Then he started the long tunnel
in the Marysville mountain, a tunnel
that would take care of the water
problem and which he hoped would
tap the vein he had uncovered in his
discovery shaft.
Brown did not know anything OF
Cruses discovery So in common with
all the miners of the neighborhood he
thought Cruise was crazy. He liked
Cruise and tried to dissuade him, with
out success. Cruise continued to work
on his tunnel.
When Cruise would run out of mon
|ey he would go back to the placer
claim Brown had given him. and which
was his start in life, and with few
weeks work pan out enough gold tC
ENABLE him to buy provisions ant
powder. The gift claim actually fin.
anced his work of driving the tunne
which resulted in the discovery of the
famous Drum Lummon, mine thai
produced millions.
Tommy Cruise always had a warn
lplace in his heart for Brown, thu
prospector. Repeatedly he offered t.
stake him, but the old prospector pre-.
ferred independence and poverty
lCruse never went to Marysville thai
he did not look up his old friend, ant
even after he had become very veal.
thy, would frequently slip away tc
Brown - ca bin, on Silver creek, ant
help Brown to cook square meal"
Cruise and Brown.
When Brown would come to Helena
after Cruise had established his bank
ne would always go to see his old
friend. And no matter what business
was on hand everything had to give
away to the bearded prospector from
Silver creek He always had right OF
way to Cruse's consideration.
Cruise bought Browns gold dust
the clean up of his placer. 1t is re-
lated that Cruise always overpaid the
prospector. Finally he was receiving
such high price for his dust that he
became suspicious. On the occasion
of his next visit to Cruse's bank, he
took the precaution to have his dust
weighed before he rendered it to
Cruise.
When Cruise paid him for the dust
he looked up his figures and found
that he had overpaid him 5000.
Tommy" he said seriously, you
have made nice stake. and have got
this bank going and you ought to do
we'll. / had an idea that you were
crazy when you were driving that tun-
mel. Now l know it. If you keep on
buying gold dust you are going broke.
I brought in $500 worth of dust and
you have paid me $500 for it. You
can not keep up that game and make
any money. If you were not an old
friend Of mine would take the money
and say nothing. But l hate to take
advantage Of cripple, either mental
or physical"
Brown Learns Truth.
OF course Crrse could NOT taI, hin,