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Show p - - - - - - -- -- - - - - - :m j GOLDEN PHANTOMS ; Fascinating TaleS Of dilha I. WaUon ' Lost Mines w.n u. i, - -. -. - - -. - . . -.rzzzy HIDDEN "STONES OF THE SKY" THE late Charles F. I.unimls, famous fa-mous roamer and chronicler of the Southwest, relates in one of his articles that the Indians knew how to hide springs of water so well that they were found only by accident acci-dent lie bolstered this statement with an account of the experience of the Hon. Amado Chavez of San Mateo, N. M., who found that a small space of ground near some ancient ruins seemed springy under his horse's tread. He had this strange spot dug into, and excavations excava-tions revealed a layer of cedar bark at some distance beneath the surface. Below this were pine logs laid close together, then more bark, and these layers were repeated for a depth of several feet. When the last of this material had been removed, re-moved, a little spring was found. With such success in concealing a spring, it is only natural that a mine shaft could be hidden equally as well by the wily natives. So, somewhere in New Mexico Mex-ico there is said to be a turquoise tur-quoise mine which was hidden by its primitive workers, and would never have been found in the ordinary or-dinary run of matters. The "Stones of the Sky" were precious to the aborigines so precious that they tried to conceal their source. However, fate decreed that a cave which was conveniently located should be enlarged as a storage ' place for ranch supplies. The cave was not deep enough in its natural state, but a charge of dynamite would attend to that without much trouble. So it was planned, and so it was accomplished, but when the rancher looked In to see the results of the shot, he was surprised sur-prised to find that a tunnel extended ex-tended back into the darkness. The tunnel led Into the ancient turquoise working. There were smoky marks on the walls where torches had leaned. Stone tools had been left lying about, and a shaft led up to the top of the hill, although al-though no trace of it could he found from the outside. It proved to have been covered In much the same way as Amado Chavez' spring with fallen trees and earth, and the growth of centuries had covered the spot equally with the rest of the hilltop. One of the most famous turquoise mines In the United States is the Mount Chalchihuitl (Aztec for turquoise), tur-quoise), which also is located In New Mexico. It was worked by the Indians for themselves long ages ago, and later under the harsh Spanish rule after the Conquest. At one time twenty of the tribesmen were killed In a cave-in, and this Is said to be one of the many events which led up to the rebellion of 1CS0, In which all the Spaniards were driven back to Mexico. After the reconquest by de Vargas Var-gas in 1C02, an effort was made to reopen this mine, but the Indians refused to enter the old workings. It was not until 1S35, when other such mines had been found and the hostile Indians who kept white men from their locations driven away, that Mount Chalchihuitl was again allowed to produce Us stones of the sky. In Arizona, George Simmons, riding rid-ing through the Crescent mountains in the Mojave desert, saw a small artificial mound. It was too large for a grave, and Its peculiar location loca-tion made It seem like something worth examining. So Simmons got off his horse and went over to the strange mound, and began to dig In its center. lie dug into what proved to be a fortune for himself. The mound marked the hidden shaft of a turquoise tur-quoise mine, worked long ago by the Indians and then concealed from the encroaching white men. Since Simmons could not afford to patent the ground at the time, he kept his find a secret for years. He built a stockade around the place, and kept an armed guard on duty day and night. Many persons attempted to follow him to the source of the gems, hut they soon found that this was dangerous business. busi-ness. Simmons went on the old principle of "finders keepers." It Is said that he uxed to come to Denver with a traveling hag ful of fine turquoises. That they were valuable Is shown by the fact that he sold one .'IL'-carat stone In New York for Sl.fxiO. It seemed Impossible for Simmon to get money enough In the United States to intent and develop his mine, so at last he went to London. Lon-don. He put a value of ?700,0(KJ on the property, aJthough It was easily worth three times as much, and floated It with English funds. Without doubt, the mine that Simmons found was one of those which were worked by the Indians In pre-di.-Tovery days, and often later were t;iken over by the Span-lards. Span-lards. Some of these mines were worked up to the end of Mexican independence, hut all or them had been abandoned before the American Ameri-can occupation. |