The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1925-07-09
Nugget" Dams
Mixture
By BERNARD LONG
De. ZEE. wsstsrn Nswapapsr unIon.l

SVmp ny operate It's uTeQSe
Nugget Dams wrinkled features
registered mounting wrath as the law
yer and Big Charlie, manager of the
Sierra Gold Dredging company,
snapped assent almost In unison
Right of eminent domain-we can
go through your ground-might as
well be reasonable and SELL" the law
yer enlightened.
Nugget Dan spat slowly and turned
keen gray eyes on Big Charlie.
"Yo'r comp'ny has millions to my
pennies, l reckon" he drawled "And
got moughty slim chance In the
courts"
you are behind the times grinned
Big Charlie. sour dredge win take
out thousands while you tinker with
your pan for few dollars day."
Nugget Dan gnawed off a fresh bite
Of plug. What you offerin' meg" he
queried.
Five hundred dollars" from Big
Charlie.
Five hundred dollars" calculated
Nugget Dan, wiggling his tongue over
broken teeth. why, this yere ground
is wuth full $4,000 if she's wuth a
cent. She's with more. Don't believe.
I'll sell fer a cent less"
'Then," announced the attorney.
briskly, speaking for the company.
wen make a counter offer-fve hun
dred dollars, and fight It out in the
courts !" Big Charlie nodded assent.
Nugget Dan rolled a cigarette and
strolled down the gravel working,
plunged In deep thought, then he
strolled back to the two dredging
officials
you offer me $780, and she's with
$4,000. Yo'r dredge will go through
here, liftin' sand and gravel in them
big buckets, and take out $4,000 off'n
this 20 acres-if 1t takes out a cent.
| reckon I'll hold to the claim he
announced and stroIled down the slope
to his cabin
But the old placer miner did not in
tend to let it rest there and face a
battle in the courts That same day
he went to see Taylor Whitney, lawyer
of the old school, friend of his early
mining days
"All l asst" said Nugget, sis that
you git through a injunction or some
other breed of court order from ledge
Graham fxin' the appraisal of them
experts as the lawful price O. my
ground"
Leave that to me-" said his old
friend. That's only fair, seeing that
the company has its own expert APP
praisers, and / am sure Judge Graham
will accede."
A week later Nugget Dan received
notice from Taylor Whitney, the
lawyer, that the court had granted the
order desired. The company had been
served with like notice.
Next morning early Nugget came
out Of his cabin with shovel and pan
to go to work as usual in his gravel,
washing the ''pay dirt" in the creek
until the yellow color was separated
from the coarser material. AS he bent
at the creek he heard voices and
recognized the figure of Big Charlie,
with three strangers.
'Hello, Nugget Ready to get down
TO business. Here are our appraisers
ready to sample the ground"
The old miner rose slowly and ex-
tended bony hand to each of the
young men. ''If you 'uns don't mind,
I'll pan fer yuh." volunteered the old
timer.
That's what we expected to ask
If you don't mind" one Of them as
serted. smiling.
Nugget had guessed aright-that
these ''newfangled" appraisers. fresh
from the school of mines, expert as
they were in the technique of mining.
would make sorry spectacle at the
old trick of panning. Nugget set to
work, smoking innumerable cigarettes,
and PANIED the gravel at spots indi-
Gated by the appraisers, until samples
were taken at so spots on the 20 acres.
Finally the sampling was completed.
and Nugget Dan went with the APP
praisers to their little assay Office at
the dredging camp,
Samples show this ground is very
rich In gold-that 20 acres ought to be
worth $4,000" announced the experts.
Big Charlie was surprised, but sat
isfed. He wrote out check for $1O.-
900 and handed it to Nugget Dan.
That afternoon Nugget drifted in to
see Attorney Taylor Whitney.
"How did you do it?" demanded the
attorney, eyes twinkling
Them cigarettes" drawled Nugget,
as he rolled another, "them cigarettes
was loaded with special Nugget Dan
mixture, part terbaccy, part gold dust.
/ smoked one fer every pam"
"You old son-of-a-gun IL"
wouldn't a done it," declared Mug
get Dan, earnestly, ''if wasn't sure
them hell-diggers would git their
money back from that air claim. But
they won't make hull lot of profit 7"
Volcanoes Dying Out