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A Promising Gold Mine

A Promising Gold Mine image
Parent Issue
Day
1
Month
April
Year
1870
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

i lie Ueerland Moni h I y for Marob fnrnishes an intererting artiola entiilcd, 'On thc Lower California Coast," from wbioh wo tako the followiDg "prospecting" anecdote ; Soou ufter tlio first whaling vesscls visitod tho lagoons, two ships, whioh luid arrived early í'rom tho Nortli, were lying ijuietly attlioir anchors, tbeir crews feeding ou tho bountiful productiong of the bay, und relioving thcniselves from the cocfiucd and tpouotoDOiM life on board by making excursión oa shoro íiuiong the rugged peaki of Margarita fgland, or throogh the estuariea ihat thread tho uortheru sbore. tíomet;racs during these raniblc.-!, oue who bad the curioáty to see the top of the island, after a futiguing cliuib, pausud to rest and tuke a urvey of tha oljects around hirn. Knoeking aboat in the dtbris, ho ohancod to piek up bat he belierod to bc tho "piociius gold itself," und hastoniug back to tho aliip, mada knowu the discovcry to bis captain. A secood expeditiou to ihe place dcveloped the su posed gold deposita more fully. p.nd a larga nurnber of the epeciraens were brought to tho hipa and examined by thu two captains and tbeir oliiorrs, v,ho pronounced theui to be "pure gold, sure cuough '! Oue ol the two shipg was amor.g the largest and beet uppointed in the hole Pauiüo Üeet, ücd the captain of high reputation, uot ozily as a successful wluilii g master, hut a man of rnucb sbrewdDes. Ilis judgnn-nt genoially boro great rpa(atioo yilh bis brotber captain e. Ilis decisión was Hstened to with willing ears, wben he addressed all hands iu tliia wiso : "Yes, men, thisi3 the real stuif. Now wo will go to work and get as uiueh of it is we wish, and let them catch 'devil fiah' that want to. ïhere is povvder for b!asting in the magazine, ifou uil tha matftrJBla od board to get up ([uito a set of uiining inipleoieiHs ; a forge wilh plenty of ooal, aud a good blacksuiitb nto the bargahi ; so the soouer we are in it the batter." Innnedia'.e preparations wero made to cominenuu mmibg. It was uow an adniitted faut that uil tho haüds wire to dig go!d uud LLCoine immeusely ricb. But the question aress, "W,bo is goicg to ciig j,'uld 011 the ouc-huLdieth or two bundredlb lay V Tbis was a serious matter, and fally diioussed at uight in the in LLo bliudiug daikaess of tiio forc-easlie ; for Captain L nuver permittcd aliuit to be buracd forward after the legular hours. After due deliberation, a!l the creir can'o tu the liri conclusión ibat -'ihey vrould uot dig gold on u lay, one of thuir uuuiber hüd discovored it, aud really thy had a better claim to tho ujine tbuu the officors." '-But," taid tbey, "vo are wiiliog to allow tho 'o!d miiii1 a good price fur Lis 'grub,' the u=e of bis touls, a..d will charter hls thip, jf Lo suys so, to taka u.s and uur 'rbino' borne." So, it was agreed that all bands should go aft aud lot the captain knov wbut was up, as soon as they should be "turnea to" iu the moniing. ''But, who U to Ie tpokeaüian Y" askcd ono. All pitched ou Jim Dow, who, howe7er, dcclared that ho had "ïa'hcr go a devil-S.-hing than face the o!d man aud do the talkti g." Aftcr some deluy, ono of the uumbor voluoteered to be spokesman. At the appoiuted time in the morniug the crew ataembled aft aud aiëked to 8ee the taiu. He sooü mado bis appcarar.ce, and every onu could fea by his delerluined look that it was no limo to bandy wordij. Thcir speaker reepectfully iuforined him that "the cruw thought it was hardly a fair tbiug to dig gold on a lav." "The d- 1 you don't," replied the Captaio. "Yeu're a pretty set of iellows. If you go to cutting your flukes out here I '11 send the whole posse of you a whaling, and a precious littlo good this gold will do you wheii the voyagc is up. Your're a set of stupids, from begianing to end. Wfay, I'U give aoy of you $50,000 for your sbare,_ and what moro do you waut ? The command was proraptly obeyed, and soou tho order eame to "lurn to," whiob was obaycd likewise. Night oame again, and when all gathered ii tho foracastlo tho new speculation was t!:o en fro3&ing topic of conversatiou. Jaok Dow said : " As for my part, I tbiok tho matter standa abnut like thia : We'vo got tho 'old man' and S50.Ü0O on ono eide, suro, and devil-fish, 6toven boats and a greusy job oq the otter, and I goes in for tho eide what's got tho iipoadulics." Tbis speech satisGed all present, aud the next drty evcrything went on obeerfully. Drüln, crovz-bai's, and other wi niug tools were üiado s fatt as willing bands could work, and any of the whaliug instrumenta that could be turned to account wore immediately appropriated to tho new adventure. A kind of kuappack was made of heavy osdvms for oach man to transport tho preciou3 metal from the miue to tüe ship, and this sackfu! deliverod on board, was tho "stint" of ech one daily. Evei'y BUiioeo 'ii.ig morDJog, as tho sun rose over the dark peaks of the islund, might Lave been seen a truiu of slowly plodaing up the steeps yitli the hite Sücks to their backs, aud before tho clowe of tho day, singly or in qua.de they returned to thtí hp aud depositad their trensuro in the stroDg caks that had boon uriginally dostiued to reccive tñe swimuiiiig ireasures of tLo cl In the iBciuitime, Captain L , auxions ubout the genuine quality of the metal, dispatched a pai ty, with specimens, to one of the gulf ports, wheie th'jro was an assayar. A faw weeks elaped beforo bis return ; hut the sanguine luiuers, in tboir ezcitement, not doubting the truc wortb of tho ore, went on briskly with thelr work. Indue time, liowever, the tuesseoger returned with the report tiist "it was nothing but run pyrites !" This iotelligaooe feil with orusbing despair on the whole party. Wliat a fall from rioh gvíutlumen of loisurc, which they alroady had been in ohm; auticipalions, to the poor jacks on board a vihaltr ! A'.l feit chagrhied, gome affectcd to laugh it oiT, others remarking that "the ,)!d man had got sold ouca iu bisltfe !" But ono of' their nuniber replied that -'all hactda might all well own up that they had been sold as we'l as tho captain. There is uot o.üe of i us, ' Eaid he, '%but has got more or los oi the stuff stowed away n a sly cornep expccting to play sharp with the old ma ou the lny business." Such, indeed wus the fact, many baving appropriated ohoioo nuggets tor private benefit, seoretiug thom in bags between the timbera of the vessel, while others bid their coveted trenure n their beds or carried thom eonatantly about their persons. The followiug morning, all hands were called and ordered to mako a muster aft, and the wholo ship's compaoy iramediatuly assembled upon the quarter deck. The captain at last made hi appearanco. A long Bilenea ensued, lien, raising both hands, he cxelaimed ; 'If any man ever divulges aoything about this here scrape, I'll be the deutb of hiin, and haunt him in purgatory. - And, uiind you, there bas got to be some oil taken this season, or else jou'll see somo cedar split. The whales are alrcady in th! bay, and the Booner we ara at t the better." Thus cndcd the gold miuiDg on Margariia laland, It is but justice to state, howcver, that this captain and his crew of amateur minors uiade the most sucoessful "season" of auy ou the coast.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus