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The Two Last Candles Of A Goldmining Prospector

The Two Last Candles Of A Goldmining Prospector image
Parent Issue
Day
13
Month
July
Year
1860
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Frora the Sacramento Un ion. Captain ü , lormerly a Missmsippi stoamboat commander, was one f our early goldhanters - a hardy and energetic forty-niner, and soon accumulated the pretty little sum of three thousand dollars, went back to -'the States," and in 1851 returned with his wife and five children. For the next three years the Captain was employed in fluming rivers and working their beds with about the average succesa of those who engaged in this branch of mining - sometimes reaüzing handsome returns and M others losing what he had made previously. About the commehcement oí '54, however, noc a„a:r,e himoolf much the gainer by his labors of the previous three years, the Captain determined on prospeeting a flat, opposite to whioh had been a rich bar on the American river, and distant luss than iorty railes frorn Sacramento. Accordingly with this determination the Captain "pitched into" the flat with piek and shovel, with all his accustomed vigor. Shaft after shaft was sunk to the bed-rock. A year had passed away, and uo "color;" no gold had gratifiüd the longing sight of the iudefatigable worker. But with energies unabatcd the Captain soon wrought away; every day adding a little to a debt which was accumulutiug against him, as he must have tools with which to work and the necessaries to support his numerous ana inoreasingfarai iy... "But," the Captain reasomd to him elf, "the flat is a lavge one the bar was very rich, and if I thoúd strike the eame lead here, I could oon pay off mv debts. There is stil ground enough here unprospected t contain a dozen leads, and I hope tcstrike it vet." But there is a gulf betweer creditor and debtor, and has been sinc civiüzation was known . And whei creditor says to debtor, "Thus far sha thou go and no farther," this gulf mus be filled up with with "the dust" in oier to become passable. And it so carne about in tl second year of the Captain's proapaing that ëvery one to whom he was idebted at one and the sarne time refuse him any more credit. But he still ha a stnall stock of provisions and all hisools, and a box ofcandlea which he wafastcon Buming in running driftsfrorn s shafts. Süventeen tf these shafts had iw been sunk, and in neither of thern ad the "color" been found. One nre trial must be made; but as soon ai it was attempted the Captain hearc to his sorrow, that he was generally -nsidered by minera, tradesmen and (iera to be insane. People had formey spoken of him, when not in his psence, with respect, and always cali him "Captain K ;" but now had dropped the title which he had arned by twelvo years of cornmac and merelv alluded to him aa Drazy K -." But this did not deter him frc con1 tinuing his labora. The eighenth shait was sunk; but with no bettsuccess than that which had attende the others. To be sure the bed-ock was ''pitching, which he considd a better indication than had veteen seen, and a dril was started the direction of the pitch-off. Seveeen feet were run, aehafteunk again the bed-rock, which was still found be ''piching." A pan of dirt was ken from the most favorable location cthe bottom; but no gold did it cont:. - 80 on again the drift was startedind run twonty ieet further. This w as iar as the means of the indomble Captain would allow him to go. 'he little household of which our gstut Captain was the head had now beie like a besieged city. It could not.Jd out longer than the supplies lsd which were on hand. The last bih ol flour had bepn baked, and the tside world were to him, hia wife d little ones. as enemies, for they d to him plainly, ''No more suppliea ft] us." With a heavy heart but a quick e did vJaptain K return to nis vi that afternoon. His kind-hearted vi had kepthim in ignorance of tbeir r necesfsities so long as she could, t now 6he was obliged to nform hira. WheD, therefore, ho received this inf raation (which was iinmediately ait having partaken of bis hurried dinne; he wont to get bis afternoon's supp of candles and, as fate s-ould have it, 1 had but two left! So, seizing them, hurriudly marched forth to labor. A cending his thaft, he addressed his cor rades: "Let us hnrry," said he, "and if it h poseible. we will reach the bed-rock t night. Ifwedo, and find nothiug, will quit work in this flat, for here ai my last two candles, and to-morrow tr fainily will want bread, nnd I must ooi trivo a way to eupply it." And tho piek and shovel wrougl briskly that aftornoon. Towards nigl the bed-rock was again struck. Wit out waiting to get a pan of gravel fro the bottom, the Captain seized hia pan and filled it with gravel which was more than a foot above it. This was washed and diacovered gold! Hurrying again into the drift, the Captain thia tiraetook a pan of dirt frora the bed rock. It was washed and contained a little over five dollars! Do you think, reader, that it' was unbecoming that strong man, as tho shiny partidos revéale i themselves to him, to let iall a few big, briny drops into the pan along with that yellow metal? - When the thoughts of wife, children - when thoughts came that his little fortress could now hold out until the besiegers should be satisfied and retire, and all ot his own should be blessed with peace and plenty - was it actually a mark of weakness to let tears fall from tboae large, astonished eyes? After a fevr days tha course of the lead was fully ascertained, and Captain K , his wife and seven children (for the family had had two added to it einco it carne to California,) had each claim upon it. Within six weeks from this time $17,000 vvero taken out of this shaft! California's Senator said that "Gold is king," In this instance it was more. It was the personification of reas n. - Captain K was no longer called "Crazy K ." 80 far from that, and so great was his wisdom thought to be, that his advice was sought by the same individuals who had so rocently sjjoke sneeringly of him. The Captain has now only to say that it was his opinión that a "lead" could be found in such and such a place, to insure a large quantity of prospeetingin the directiou pointed out.