Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1927-04-28
Boys Find Pay Dirt at Wee.
pah in Time to Save
Family Fortune.

Ton0pah, Nev.--If the sun that
shmie upon the waste lands of Nevada
last summer had been less intense, the
world would not have had to wait I'M
til March 2 of this year to learn about
the gold strike at Weepah. For the
discovery credited to Frank Horton,
Jr., and Leonard Traynor was actual
ly made last summer The story of
the strike has the elements OF ro-
nance and today Weepab is a camp
of prospectors, fortune hunters and
sightseers who use automobiles in
stead of pack mules and are building
q new gold town.
Horizons father is owner of the
Electric Gold mines and the nineteen
year-oId lad was exploring its prop
erty when he picked up a piece of rich
float" fecked with small particles of
free gold Frank Horizons pulse beat
rapidly. With hazy idea of locating
rich gold seam such as the one that
made Godfield famous 25 years ago,
he began covering the ground careful
ly. AS he worked, however, the sun
beat down upon him as only a desert
sun can. The intense heat squelched
his ambition for the time being and
young Horton went on his way re-
solving to return when the weather
was cooler
The Horton family consists of Frank
Horton. Sr.; Mrs. Horton, Frank, Jr.,
sister and twin baby brothers The
babies furnished Frank. Jr.. the in
centive to return once more to Wee
pah He wanted to make stake for
the babies Leonard Traynor, another
ninetpen-year-old lad. Joined Horton.
and the two boys set out for the hills
from Tonopah.
Two Boy Prospectors.
On the morning of March 2. after
they had eaten their last rations. the
boys returned to the spot where the
gold float had been picked up the
summer before A badger hole on the
ground at that time showed that gold
hearing rock was just below the sur
face. II panned well and the boys be-
gan digging the little cut that has
caused so much excitement since that
time.
In few hours a trench had been
dug into the hillside and two sacks of
ore had been taken out. The ore had
flecks of gold running through it and
when crushed yielded long string Of
yellow gold In the pam, But the boys
were too excited to tarry longer. In u
short time they had staked some
claims In their mothers names close
To the Electric Gold ground and left
IN cloud of dust for Tonopah
In Tonopah they created a genuine
sensation by handing out several thou
sand dollars worth Of ore as samples.
Mining men made offers running into
thousands Of dollars for the right If
being told the district In which the
gold was first found Prospectors who
happened to he In the town of Tono-
pah that night hurriedly threw their
packs together and waited for the
news to break.
Keeping the Secret
For two days the boys remained
silent. The strike was on the ground
belonging to Horizons father and they
wanted to keep the location secret un-
til he could return.
II so happened that In the days of
Goldfield Mr.. Horton had made nearly
81 -WHWl which had been spent In
water projects in the vicinity of Oak
land and In the Southern OF! fields.
For years Frank Horton, Sr., had been
working the Gold Electric. developing
ore. but after reaching the stage where
1t would make a paying proposition
ne WAS unable TO interest further cen.
itai The ground at the time OF the
gold discovery was under option
to another company for money due,
putting young Horton In the same
position as little Nell when the vii
lain was ready to take up the mort
gage on the old homestead Horton,
Sr had borrowed funds a few days
IDef0re to take care of his family for
III short time while he made one last
desperate trip to Los Angeles, hoping
TO raise MONEY enough to keep the
wolf away from the door of his home
and of his company
! 1t was then that Frank Horton, Jr.,