THE NEW EL DORADO
PnoNimNftio
PLC
EDWIN MOCM3
?apyM7r ay ppipsof pja. ca
MEXICO'S WEALTHIEST MAN
N tho summor of 1909, whon gold was
discovered In tho Porcupino Lako min
ing district of Canada, about 500 miles
north of Toronto, tho region was bo
Inaccessible and tho conditions of llfo
wero so hard that nothing except tho
luro of gold could havo brought whlto
men to tho spot. Everywhoro was a
trackless, low-lytng forest. Perhaps
(t would bo raoro nearly accurnto to
say that ovorywhero wan a great
, marsh filled with trees. In tho wintor
tho tcrnporaturo dropped to 00 degrees below zoro
and tho snow rose to tho forost branches. In tho
summer thcro was a pest of Insects. Poisonous
black flics almost Invisible becauso of their small
noss buzzed all tho day. At night tho black flies
laid off and tho mosquitoes camo on. Thoro was
novor a summer hour, by day or night, when n hu
man being could havo lived at
pcaco; when his faco would not
havo bcon stinging; when his
owollon features would not have
mndo him grotesque.
But fow had over sufforcd, bo
cauoo thoro woro only a fow to
suffer. Only an occasional trap
por ever penetrated tho wlldor
Bess, Tho, prospoutor had not
come, becauso tho prospector, an
R rule, goes only whero mountains
beckon. Tho prospector did not
know that, mountains, llko tooth,
may wear off until only tholr roots
remain. Nor did tho prospoctor
know that, In' tho great dentistry
of , naturo, theso mountain roots
nro sometimes illlcd with gold nnd
ouvcr, mcKoi ana iron. a
r,-. f nvjzi. jji tc Terr cu uwxswv
7&
4
W1
it
Yot such Is tho fact. Whon tho
world was young a mountain range 4
0
Mi
mi
mm
m
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.
Tw'btoe? sso xztiqm?, -fo to so put mar mojo to 3qpppt hch
TH&AttOPTt
GOJLDCAAfP 4
fa
gard to who first
discovered gold In
Porcupino as thoro
is with regard to
w h,o dlscovorod
America. Qoorgo
Ilanuormbn, how
ever, appears to bo
tho Columbus of
tho occasion. Dan
norman, an old
prospector, in July,
1909, scraped tho
moss from a bit of
tho surfaco of a
projecting rock and
saw wet flakes of
shining gold "utar
lng up at him from
tho quartz. But tho
tlrst great dUcov
ory was mado by
a gnnK of prospec'
tors h o a d o d by
Jack Wilson. Wil
son, or ono of his subordinates no two roportB
on this point aro alike found tho great Dome
that bears Wilson's name. Tho "Domo Is a
rldgo of rock, 6C0 foot long, 40 tq 80 foot wide,
20 to 30 foot above ground, and no ono yot kxiovib
how deep, that is heavily laden with gold. Pull
tho moss from It'anywhero and thoro Is gold.
Nothing in tho history of gold mining bettor
illustrates tho eccentricities of gold minors than
tho dlBcovory of tho "Domo." Tho discovering
party consisted of throo men, headed by Jack
Wilson. Tho expedition was financed by a Chi
cago man named Edwards, who was engaged In
tho manufacture of lighting fixtures. Edwards
was to put up all tho monoy in return for a
half Interest In anything that might bo discov
ered. Wilson was to havo a quarter lntorost and
each of tho other two an eighth.
For several weeks thoy prospected, first to tho
cast of Porcupino lake. In Whitney township, then
to tho west, In TlBdalo townBhlp. Thoy found
gold and stakod nomo claims. But tho great
"Dome," nlthough thoy camped, somo of tho time,
within sight of it, almost escaped them. It was
finally discovered, according to tho story that
Is genorally bellovod, only bocauoo ono of Wil
son's subordinates stumbled across It. Ho was
not a minor, know nothing about geology, but did
know enough to. Borapo oft moss, Also, ho had
eyes. When tho moss was off ho could not help
seeing tho gold. Tho great rldgo that was hence
forth to bo known bb tho "Wilson Domo" had
been found. Stakes woro driven and claim laid
to tho huge bouldor.
Perhaps tho most remarkable story, howovor,
that has comu out of tho Porcupino was told by a
prospootor pamcd "1)111" Woodnoy.
A mining man whom I bellovo to bo roltablo told
mo that Bill camo to him ono day and showed him
a remarkably rich ploco of gold quartz, at tho
samo tlmo asking him whero ho supposed It camo
from.
"Not from anywhoro In Canada," was tho roply.
"I thought you would say that," waH tho com
ment, "but you aro wrong."
Then "Bill" told hla story.
Ho said tho quartz was given to him by a widow.
Her hUBband had been accidentally killed a short
time beforo alio gnvo It to him. Tho widow told
hlra that tho quartz camo from a vein near Lako
Abltlbl, n frigid Blieet of water up toward Hudson's
xtouded from Minnesota, 'across Ontario, to Lab
rador. Nobody but geologists inako tho state
Meat with confidence They say theso moun
tains wero tho oldest mountains on tho conti
nent; that thoy wero old whon tho Bookies woro
yet unformed; that tho glacial' drift and the dis
integrating effects of untold millions of yoors
of heat and cold havo worn them away until only
the("roots" remain; and thoy point to tho roots
as proof of their theory.
, The roots aro thoro. Anybody can see them.
Some of them aro bolow tho surface, somo nro
above. Over moat of tho roots nro a fow foot
or earth, but, horo and thoro, a hugo shouldor of
rook thrusts Itself above tho surfaco; horo nnd
thoro a great le'Uge plowB Its. way through tho
forests add then disappears in tho marsh; and
nowhere, can ono dig far without coming to rock.
A singular incldont explains, perhaps, why
theso 'mountain roots woro not permitted to ro
main untouched for another hundred million
years. Tho incldont had Us inspiration In poli
tics. .Tho Ontario government felt that It was
losing strength with tho farmora. Wlso men In
tho 'ministry looked around to nco whnt could bo
dono. Tho farmorB In tho "clay bolt" 1iad boon
clamoring for a railroad. Tho ministry decided
thai it would bo good politics to give It to them.
Bo it was decided to build a railroad from North
bay, on tha. shores of Lako NlpUslng, to connect
with tho great transcontinental line, undor con
struction furthor north.
It was Whllo this railroad was building that
Fred La Hoso, n mombor of tho construction
gang, blasted hltt way Into an old mountain root,
mndo himself rich, mndo Cobalt, mado mora than
a Hcoro of multimillionaires and caused Cauada,
, which had produced almost no silver, to produce
12' por cent, of tho world'B output. Two men, In
six days, trundled out 157,000 worth of stiver
with a wheelbarrow. As an Indlroat ros,uH Sud
bury boenmo tho world's chief producor of nickel.
All of which seemed to bo against tho rules
mado and provided by naturo, Canada hud novor
boon known as a silver country, Near Cobalt
thoro was nothing on tho surfaco to Indicate that
silver might bo near. But no eyo had seen bolow
tho surface. No mind had dreamed of tho gold
nnd sliver filled roots of worn-ott mountains. An
explanation was required and geologists who ex
amined tho formations gnvo it,
Tho geological asouranco thnt tho entire ro- bay, 300 miles north of Cobalt Her husband and
glon might bo sprinkled with precious metals two other men whom she named had found tho
quickly caused tho country around Cobalt to be vein. Thoy had not staked tholr claims and regis
prospected. But prospoctlng in forost-coyered . tered thm with tho government at Toronto, bo
marshes does not proceed rapidly, Not until tho' causo such registration would havo boon a notlflca
. summer of 1909 did prospectors push 250 miles tlon to tho world that thoy had found gold In tho
northward, to tho roglou of Porcupino lake, region. Winter was near when tho dlscovory was
There Is about as much uncertainty Nvith ro- made und thoy wanted to return In tho spring;,
prospect tho country thoroughly and stake out ev
erything In sight
During tho following wintor tho husband of tho
woman who wns so Boon to bocomo a widow wns
seriously Injured In a mill. In a fow days ho
realized that death was near. Ho sont for tho two
prospectors who had accompanied him to Lako
Abltlbl. Thoy camo. f
"Boys," snld ho, "I guess I'vo got to dlo. T can't
go back with you in tho spring to Btako tho claims.
I want you to promlso mo that If I dlo you will glvo
tho old woman a third of what wo found last year."
Tho men promised. Tho wlfo heard them. But
sho didn't bolluvo them.
Tho widow had told BUI who tho mon wore.
Ho know them. Ho know whero they woro work
ing. BUI hired out In the samo place. In tho courso
of a fow wcoka ono of thorn told him that thoy woro
going to quit at a certain tlmo In tho' spring and
tako a long canoo and hunting trip in tho country
far to tho north. ,
That was good enough clow for BUI. Two weeks
befpro tho announced tlmo for tho mon to start
Woodnoy quit his Job, packed his kit and started
for Lako Abltlbl himself.
Whon ho reaohod tho lake ho drow his canoo
from tho wator, hid It In tho "bush," as Canadians
call a forest, and prepared to wait.
On tho eighth day of his vigil, as ho was peering
out of tho bushes, ho saw the sight that ho had
waltod so long to bco. Down tho placid river came
two canoes, cutting tholr ways through tho cool
waters and leaving flutlron wakos In tho reiir.
Lata In tho afternoon BUI saw tho two specks
disappear In what scorned to bo an lnlot
Tho first night thoro was no fire, but tho next
day Bill saw a bluo spiral of smoko curling from tho
bushes back of tho lako.
For flvo days and nights tho fires burned. Thon
thoro wob no moro flro, day or night. Evidently tho
mon had gone. BUI wanted to bo suro, so ho waited
throo moro days. Thon ho went down to tho lako
where his canoe was hidden, put it into tho water,
took pains to observe that thcro was on tho lako
no sign of human llfo, thou slowly paddled his way
along the shore, looking for tho lnlot.
BUI was paddling as quietly as ho could whon, at
tho "knuckle" of tho water finger a point whoro
tho lnlot was not more than 60 foot wldo-jho sud
denly baw on tho left bank tho two prospectorsl
Tho next instant ono of them throw an ax at Bill's
canoo that all but cut it In two and sunk it ns quick
ly as a raiuo could sink a battleship.
Woodnoy doesn't know yot why ho Is alive. Ho
seemed to havo no chanco to live. It was two
against ono and the ono was In tho wator. So woro
his food, his weapons and his tools. If he wero not
murdered during tho next second It Boemod certain
that ho would starve during tho next month. Not
that ho thought out all of thoso things whllo ho was
sinking. Ho thought out nothing. All ho did waB to
act first and think aftonvard. A fow strokes with
his hands and a fow kicks with his feet put him
against tho bank. No rabbit over took a trail faster
than BUI took to tho brush.
Tho rest of this story can bo tbld In short sen
tences. Ilungor, within tho noxt forty-eight hours,
drovo Woodnoy Into tho very camp of tho mon
who would havo slain him. Ho cropt up to them,
lato at night, and stolo their food, Ho could not
steal much at a tlmo, but ho stolo enough to koop
him alive. He stolo, not onco, but throo times. Tho
noxt tlmo ho went to steal they woro not thoro.
Thoy had pulled up camp and gone, bag and bag-
gaga He took his llfo in his hands tho next day
and went down to soo tho claims they had staked.
Ho didn't find a stick or a sign of a claim. Ho
couldn't ovon find anything himself that Boomed
worth claiming.
Tho prospoctors nover rotumcd. Whether thoy
wero upsqt and drowned In ono of tho many rap
ids; whothor thoy foil to fighting and killed each
other, no .ono knowB. Nor havo they over filed a
claim to oro bodies along Lako Abltlbl.
Not unliko tho mighty estates of
tho old patroons, who used td own ,1ro-,
mcndouB tracts of land around New;
York and whoso sway was moro pow-,
orful than that of tho most puissant,
feudal baron in Europe, la that of
Qon. Don Luis Torrazas, "boss" of tho
state of Chihuahua, ownoV of moro,
than half tho land included within its
wide boundaries nnd tho richest man
in Mexico. His wealth is estimated,
at not less than $25,000,000 gold aud
many csttmato it much higher. Ter
razan is of interest at this time, for
many people aro saying that ho and
hlB son-in-law, Enrique Creel, nro re
sponsible for tho rebellion In Mexico.
Gen. Don Luis Torrazas lmB lived
all his llfo In Chihuahua. His parents
woro small landowners beforo tho In
vasion of Mexico by the French.
Whon Mexico began to try for free
dom from tho foreign Invaders Tor
razas, then a young man without In
fluence, starting with a small body of .
valiant followers, built up a force sufficient to drlvo tho French out of tho
northern part of Mexico. Later when tho French wcro defeated In tho Bouth
and tho empire overthrown with tho death of Maximilian, TorrazaB took
charge of tho portion of Mexico now comprised by the Btato of Chihuahua.
Later camo Diaz, and Torrazas lent his aid In subduing and forming
tho republic, receiving hlB roward "to havo and to hold" the stato of Chi
huahua. Nominally ho was olected governor. Really ho wan mado tho boss
of tho state, and whllo ho has not held ofllco ne govornor continually ho has
dictated tho election of every ono who haB been chosen and mostly tho mantlo
haa fallen on tho shouldora of somo member of his own family. Therein lies
tho cause of tho present rebellion. Citizens of Chihuahua who havo taken up
arms against tho present government dcclaro that Torrazas and his clan
havo gobbled Chihuahua; that thoy can only live thero now as peons; that
thoso In power aro growing richer and richer ovory day, whllo tho common
people aro growing poorer and poorer.
Short of staturo, weazened and wrinkled, with his short, whlto beard and
hlB Moxlcnn cowboy dross, ho walks tho stroots of Chihuahua today In aplto
of his soventyrclght years, calmly collcctllng his 12 per cent, and apparently
unadvised that thoro is a rebellion In his realm which threatens to strip
him of tho power he has wielded for moro than 30 years.
PASTOR TO HAVE BIG CHURCH
Rev. Charles F. Aked, who talked
seriously of resigning tho pastorato
of tho Fifth Avonuo Baptist church
tho Rockefeller church In Now York
city becauso of tho supposed falluro
of a pretentious building project on
which ho had set his heart, scorns to
havo won his point. Ab a result Goth
am 1b" likely to havo tho greatest
church on modern Institutional lines
in tho "world.
John D. Rockefeller has a plan un
der consideration for presenting his
Fifty-fourth street homo and his ad
joining realty holdings aa n'slto for
tho now homo of tho congregation.'
Tho trustees of tho Fifth Avenuo
church havo for threo years b,ccn
looking for a. suitable slto on which
to build a church such as Dr. Aked
desires, but the committco in 'chargo
failed to mako a selection. Mr. Rock
efeller has rccentlivpurcuased a num
ber of plots surrounding his homo
and It is belloved that ho is rounding
out his holdings so that they may becomo available for the new church slto
if tho trusteoB fall toJlnd one moro suitable.
Tho RockefelljdBbiisQ, though very largo, Is not strictly modern, and
tho owner profcrslBTpcantico hills cstato. It Is undorstood that ho will glvo
up his city resldnjRtho church trustees accept certain offers ho Is formu
lating. Tho plalHRruRockcfcllcr and Dr. Aked, it Is said, Is to mako tho
new church tbofgfeatest and most Influential institution of its kind in tho
world.
EMBER OF COMMERCE COURT
Tho successor in the Interstate com
merce commission of Martin Knapp,
who was recently appointed to tho
now commerce court, is Prof. Balthu
sor Henry Moyer, ono of tho most
prominent educators In tho country
nnd an nuthorlty of note on political
economy aui sociology.
Profesao; yer is a natlvo of Wis
consin, a g rduata of tho University
of Wisconsin and tho University of
Berlin, and has been an educator
Binco 1884, when ho taught a district
school in his natlvo stato. Ho has
been a mombor of tho Wisconsin rail
way commission and tho now federal
railway security Investigating com
mission and has written many Impor
tant articles on railway legislation
and administration and other econom
ic subjects.
The professor also sorved as expert
special agent for tho bureau of tho
censuB tvnd lntorstato commorco commission.
WOULD SAVE ROADS BIG SUM
No man has been moro In tho pub
lic eyo of lato than Louis D. Brandels,
who not long ngo declared that tho
railways could save $1,000,000 a day
by proper and efficient management.
Mr. Brandels first camo Into promi
nence in 1903, when as tho head of
tho Publlo Franchise leaguo of Boston
ho was involved In tho strugglo over
tho reorganization of tho Boston gaB
companies. Largely through his In
flueuco legislation was put through
which permitted tho unification of tho
gas companies on a unlquo principle.
Tho total capitalization of tho now
company was mado tho samo as that
of tho valuation of tho securities of
tho consolidated companies. Tho price
of gas was Bot at 00 contB a thousand
feet. Ou that basis tho company was
allowed to pay sovon per cent, oa
Its stock and ono por cont. extra
for ovory reduction of flvo cents a
thousand foot In tho price of gas. Tho
plan worked successfully.
Mr. Brandels noxt becamo promluontly known through his sharo In
enabling the savings bonks of Massachusetts to write Industrial tnsurauce.
)
Tf-Trrnm