‘‘Blinded” Discovery
on What Cheer Bar
The old saying; “there is nothing
new under the sun, ” is illustrated by
the following interesting story, which
shows conclusively that What Cheer
bar was really “struck” in the late
spring of 1899.
A well known raining man of this dis
trict, while on his way in a small boat
to Nome, in the summer of '99, over
took Dan Rarick below Xanana. The
latter was also bound Nomeward. Ra
rick was sick, and camp wan make on
the bank. Our informant, whom we
call Brown, stayed with the sick man
and took care of him tor nearly two
weeks.
The night before the boats pulled out
to continue the jou-rney down river Ra
rick called Brown into his tenc and con
fided to him that he had made a dis
covery on the bar “between Eureka
and Pioneer” where he had panned as
good as 5c: “right under the moss.”
Rarick worked on la Eureka during the
winter of ’98, and in the spring of ’99
was representing claims for the Boston
boys on Pioneer.
Rarick said that on one of his trips
across the bar to Pioneer, he noticed
some washed gravel, which had been
exposed by an uprooted tree, that in
falling had torn off the blanket of moss.
He took some of the gravel home and
panned good‘prospects. He returned
and found that the ground had been lo
cated but a short time prior; in fact the
entire bar was completely staked. He
then decided to keep his prospects sec
ret, and relocate the ground Jan. 1, ’01
when it became open. In the mean
time he kept prospecting, turning the
moss back, and after refilling his holes,
turn it carefully down again—thus ob
literating all surface signs of work.
Before the men separated it was de
cided that Raiick would return to Ram*'
. -jf T ' .
mmn i ■■ w mmm ■ t«i i.im i hi ■ m — i ■■■
* •
part that fail, and he and tsrown would
develop the ground. Brown never saw
Rarick again, but he himself returned
as agreed. Brown wrote both to Nome
and Salt Lake, Rarick’s address in the
states, but the letters were returned.
Brown endeavored to find some trace
of Rarick’s work, and did considerable
prospecting, but was unsuccessful. As
a guide to work from, Rarick’s fiind—
‘ ‘the bar between Eureka and Pioneer' ’
a very vague and indefinite statement,
so Brown finally was forced to quit.
Since, he sees he Worked to near Pio
neer, instead of practically on top of
the bar, where the latter discoverers
found pay three years later, in spite of
Rarick’s “blinding.” RaricK was an
old Utah miner, nearly Go years old,
probably dying at Nome that summer.
•Brown did not go to Nome but sailed
direct from St. Michaels to Seattle.
Among The Miners
Wm. McKinney is now with Wright.
C. I. Jordan has moved his boiler to
Seattle jr. bar from discovery claim on
Deadwood creek. ■ '
I f i ^
J. Isley has purchased a thawer and
outfit from W. B. Ballou on Ruby. The
machine will be used by Isley on 7 1m
the coming summer.
0. H. Thumm has engaged Surveyor
Henry to make a survey to determine
the feasibility of bringing Hootlanana
water on the Pioneer benches. Thumm
has several rich high bench claims re
quiring only a supply of water to pro
duce big.
O. A. Diver came in from Pioneer
yesterday. Mr. Diver has been pros
pecting on the north fork al]» winter,
and on his return will commence sink
ing on No. 1 north fork. A. H. Lane
and Joe Nellany are interested with
him. They are endeavoring to learn if
the paystreak found on the Pioneer
benches crossed the north fork. The
thawer owned by Mx, Lane is being Us
for the wcra. -
FURNiSMNG
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