The Coolidge examiner., 1935-07-26
GOLDEN
| PHANTOMS
fascinating
Tales OF ,a,,.. w,,,o.
Lost Mines e-su
HIDDEN "STONES OF
THE SKY"

TIE <uIfuH eAt. relates % one nt hl~
articles that the Indians knew bow
to hide springs ~ water 50 well
thar they were found only by accl.
dcaf. He bo,s,ered this statement
Biih an account ~ the experience
of the Hon Amado Chavez of san
Nafeo. y. n. who found that n
small space % ground near some
ancient ruins seemed spriu@y under
his horses tread. Uc had .thls
strange spot dug into. and excBva-
tlous revealed layer of cedar
bark 90 some distance beneath the
4 surface Below this were pine io-s
laid close together. then more bark
+ and these layers were repeated fur
q depth ~ several feet. when the
last of this material had been re-
moved. a little spring was found
( With such success 90 concealinx
spring. lt Is only natural that
mine shaft could be- hidden
equally as well hy the willy natives
So. somewhere IN New Mex
irn there is said 20 be tur-
qnoise mine which VAS hidden bv
F tis primitive workers and would
never have been found In the or
F dinary run ~ matters The stones
of the Sky" were precious 60 the
Z ahnrieiues-- precious that they
tried ~ conceal their source.
However. fate decreed that a cave
which was conveniently located
/ should be enlarged ~ storage
place for ranch supplies The cave
was not deep enough in lts natural
state. bot a charge - dynamite
would attend Ia that without much
( trouble. So u was planned. and
80 II was accomplished. hut when
T the rancbcr looked In 90 see the
F results ~ the shot. be- was sur.
( prised to find that n tunnel OK.
tended back into the darkness
The tunnel led into the ancient
Z turquoise working There were
z smoky marks on the walls where
+ torches had leaned Stone tools had
heen lefi lylnE about. and = shaft
led np so the top ~ the hiil al
though no irace ~ Il could he found
F from the outside I, proved 70 have
been covered IN much the same
way as Amado Chavez spring-
with fallen trees and earth. and the
{ growth ~ centuries bad covered
T the spot equally wlth the rest OF
+ the hilltop.
One ~ the most famous turquoise
mines Ia ,he United states Is the
Mount Chalchihulii tAztec for tur.
. quolsel. which aiso Is located In
E Nex Mexico. II vas worked hy the
+ Indians for themselves long ages ago.
and later under the harsh Spanish
rule after the Conquest. At one
time twenty az the frihesmen were
Killed IN a cave-ln. and this Is said
% D. one ~ the many events which
led M 20 the rebellion ~ lGSo. IN
which all the Spanlards were driven
back 20 Mexico.
After the reeonquest by de- Var.
gas In iG2. an effort was made TO
reopen this mine. bnt the Indians
refused 20 enter the old workings.
II was not until 1875. when other
such mines had been found and M.
hostile Indians who kept white men
F from their locations driven away.
that Mount Chalchlhulil was again
allowed to produce It's stones of the
sky
In Arizona. George simmons. rid.
ing through the Crescent mountains
In the Molaye desert. saw small
artificial mound. n was too large
T for grave. and It's peculiar ioca.
iion made II seem like something
worth examining. So simmons 20,
on his horse and went over To the
strange mound. and began 10 dig 10
& It's center.
lie dug into what proved 70 he
fortune for himself The mound
marked the hidden shaft Of tur.
qu"lse mine. worked long aga by
the Indians and then concealed from
+ the enrroachlng white men.
Since Simmons could no, afford
TO patent the ground at the time
he kept hls ind secret for years
lie built stockade around the
place. and Kept an armed guard on
duty day and night. Many persons
attempted 20 follow him 10 the
source ~ the gems. but they soon
found that this was dangerous busl.
ness. simmons went on the old
principle OF finders keepers"
II Is said that he used To- come
10 Denver with a travelling bar full
Of tine turquoises. That they were
valuable Is shown by the fact that
he sold one 52-carat stone In New
York for $1,000.
IL seemed impossible for Simmons
TO get money enough In the United
States 10 patent and develop his
mine, so al last he went to Lon
don. He put value Of 100000 on
the property. although II was easily
worth three times as much, and
iioated It with English funds.
Without doubt, the mine that
Simmons found was one Of those
I which vara trorLad he -. rst