It was, therefore, decided that there was no rule to be governed by in arriving at a conclusion, but that a miner must use his best judgment and trust to luck.
One miner related how it was that he missed making a fortune by running his tunnel a little too “fur” to the right, and another who run his tunnel a “leetle too fur” to the left. A third, who worked a whole year in running his tunnel into a hill where the rock was hard, and no gravel making its appearance, quit in despair, but soon after others went in to work and running the tunnel but a few feet farther struck rich gravel.
One old-timer related that in ’53 he and five others worked about fourteen months in running a tunnel into a rich cement-capped hill, expecting when they started to strike gravel at least in six or eight months. The storekeeper in town who was furnishing them with supplies told them that he would be compelled to close down, for he had not the means to continue furnishing them. They were in a bad fix, and a portion of the company were in favor of abandoning the mine at once, but were finally persuaded to run one more week, and then if not through the bed rock to quit for good and all.
At noon upon the Saturday following they quit the mine where they had worked faithfully for more than fourteen months in the hardest kind of blue porphery, and concluded to try another hill near at hand, where the prospects seemed more favorable.
In the afternoon five of them donned their store clothes, went into town and reported to the storekeeper the state of affairs, but promised to go to work immediately in the ravine and pay up their indebtedness as soon as possible. The old miner, continuing, said that “one young chap they called Sandy didn’t go into town with
us, but as soon as we had started for town he takes his tools and candle and goes on a prospecting expedition in the tunnel which we had abandoned forever.”
When we quit work at noon there was a large block of prophery overhead which seemed to be loose, but we didn’t think it worth while to remove it.
Sandy said afterwards that while eating his dinner he was thinking all the time about that loose rock, and that we ought to have wedged it out, and that was just what he remained at home for. With the gads and sledge it soon fell from its place, and upon examination he discovered, to his astonishment, sand and gravel on its upper side. Upon holding up his candle he found that we had sure and sartin struck pay gravel. Sandy tried a pan of it and found it rich beyond all expectation.