Gold Rush in the Cellar

What is believed by those interested to be an eight-foot lode of silver and gold whitish quartz has been discovered under Tacoma, and there is a lively still hunt tight on for possession. An assay shows the quartz to carry $100 in silver and $47 in gold per ton. It is located in the center of population, between South K and L streets, and was discovered by accident. A man was employed digging a cellar and uncovered the ledge about seven feet from the surface. He was able to dig up the quartz with a pick, and while he was throwing some of it out upon an embankment, a mining man living near passed and picked it up. He considered it good rock, and after consulting friends, all of whom were pledged to secrecy until the result was known, decided to make an assay. Samples were taken to a reliable assayer, who gives the above figures and pronounces it the best ore he has seen in the Northwest. The quartz has a trace of copper. The black spots containing sulphurate of silver can be cut with a knife. The ledge is east and west, in line with Mount Rainier. It was not sufficiently uncovered to locate the walls, but it may turn out to be over eight feet in width. Lawyers have been employed to ascertain if the original city townsite reserves the mineral rights for government filing; if it does, two blocks in the vicinity of the cropping will be battled upon. If not, the parties owning the lots will be taken unaware. None of the owners of the property in the vicinity have been aware of the results of the assay; in fact, they do not know that one has been made, or that their residences worth from $5,000 to $10,000 are resting on the top of a possible lode.