Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-06-01
Charleston W, Va. Letter.

take trip up Elk river to see what
was being done at the dam, which
YOU remember | wrote you last fall,
was somewhat shattered by the high
waters. Arrived on the spot, found
that arrangements for reconstructing
! it had been matured and workmen
busy. Satisfied that it would be Il
( success some time soon | went further
up the stream and visited the boom
which is said to now hold 10000
logs packed in there in every possible
manner for logs to drift in. | walked
over them and found them to be per
fectly solid under my weight, some
places living six to ten feet deep. All
manner of drift wood is packed in
with them and an idea Of the customs
of the people further up stream can
/ be gathered from the quantity Of bro
ken furniture and farming implements
| &C.. that have hoated away from them
and lodged among the logs | left
there. satisfied with the boom.
Things Immediately in the city are
moving along with beautiful same
ness not particularly calculated to
arouse ones energies Once in long
I while we have Il fire, and the negros
too are getting somewhat civilized and
twice in the last few weeks brawl
among themselves has resulted in
pistol shot wounds to some one of
their number, but, unfortunately. the
pistols are always too small and no
serious effects ever accrue. An alarm
of fire was sounded last night and as
the citizens here, having no regular
excitement, keep bottled up for such
occasions, every body run and with
Il splendid disposition for peace they
never disturb the fire but at once pre-
coed to tear down the fences and de-
molish the furniture. | happened to
be close at hand when the alarm was
given and quietly walked q could
not get up sufficient excitement to so
far overcome laZiness to rum to the
scene of destruction. Was met at the
door by an excited individual who
tenderly placed a pillow i'll my hands,
but before | got two steps with it
some other individual threw mirror
from the window and busted it at
my feet 1t was the old story, they
stumbled the tumblers down the stairs
and pitched the pitchers out Of the
windows but carried the poker care
fully down on their shoulders; in the
meantime never forgetting to yell. =
The contents of the house was in a
very short time "spilled out on the
| sidewalks; then the people went to
look on the burning building, but
SOME quiet fellow, standing noncha-
lantly by, remarked that the fire was
only a small blaze and one bucket
full of water had put it out. With
an honest sense of having done their
whole duty the most of the people
Immediately went away, probably to
see that their own homes were safe,
leaving the owner of the premises
with but few helpers to carry back
and rearrange his furniture damaged
perhaps to the extent of two hundred
dollars. Then, women and children,
niggers and dogs, run bowling like
mad, hunting for the fire whenever
an alarm is sounded and it is the
noisiest, 0'orcneSt, most heterogene-
Gus crowd that country can afford.
A regiment Of bowling Dervishes,
with thunder and lightning costumes,
is nothing to the crowd that will as
semble at fire in this city at eleven
o'clock at night Chaos turned in
side out and pandemonium with its
bottom knocked out would scarcely
surpass it, 1t would be splendid
time for political stump speeches, for
enthusiasm and noise being requisite
on such occasions, plenty of it would
be on hand, and the speaker could
swearthat, if he made 10 converts to
his side, nobody had paid enough at
tention to him to change their votes
from his side on account Of any LapS"s
H1g,to made during his speech, This
idea is entirely my own and if this
letter is worth nothing as medium
of information please "score me up
one for originality in suggesting such
a time for such purpose and result.
G.. l.. B.
The Jews are certainly gaining po-
sitiOn and power. In Europe there