The weekly Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1872-1887, 1875-08-07
a Welsh Mining Feud.

DIR. Peter Williams, the recently du.
ceased coroner of FIintshirc, Wales, was
Mt tho time of his death the oldest coro-
ncr i'll Great Britain. lie was very deaf
very old, and brimful Of "yarns" connect.
cd with his official experience. What he
termed the Buckley Mountain Fcud" wu.
one OF the most interesting and sanguin.
Hry of the many cases in which his pro.
fcssional services had been called in re-
QUESTION.
What is called Buckley Mountain is an
elevated tablc-land about three miles east
of the mnrket-town of Mold. Its inhab.
itants were formerly a savage, quarrclsomc
race, divided like the Scottish Highland
ers into "clans." There were tile vii.
liamscs, the Joncscs, the ITughoses, tho
Gritfiths, the Morgans, and the Shepherds,
and bitter family fcuds often ragged between
them. COal-mining and COARSE stone pot
terry manufacture employed most of the
adult males; and it was no unfrequcnt oc-
currencc to sec the military ordered from
Chester to suppress their intcrnccinc con-
ilicts. The soil is mostly freehold, and
the coal-mincs arc worked on the princi-
ple Of sharos-cach mine being divided
into tiirty-twO shares, and each share be.
ing designated "R half an ounce"
At one time eight relatives of the name
Of Hughes were associated with IN equal
number Of the maine of Roberts in work.
ing what WIS termed tho Great Ash Mine
so named from the fact that the shaft had
been put down close to nh immense ash
tree. The conl lay deeper here than in
most other sections OF the mountain,
but 1t was thicker seam, and of superior
quality, and the lIughcses md the Grif-
liths were hence esteemed particularly
fortunate all over the mountain. There
was n good deal of rivalry and frequent
quarrcls among them; but il was mostly
good -naturcd rivalry carried on by boast
ing, tcats Of strength, and physical Prov
css. But when it became widely known
That Evan Hughes, n handsome, stalwnrt
young man of twenty, and Samuel Grif-
liths, nm equally 1.-the aud promising young
Hercules, were bitter rivals for the heart
of Miss Anne Shepherd, everybody in
Buckley knew there was strife a-brcwing
Anne wns the daughter of stonc-pot,
terry manufacturer, who, without educa.
tion, had risen from the ranks, and accu.
mulntcd handsome fortune. Wealth
did not make him arrogant. lie was still
"hnil fellow, well met" with every hard.
toiling miner on the mountain; and ho
uid not hesitate to state, when in his cups
i'll the Red Lion parIur Of night, that
sam Griiliths and Evan Hughes were tho
tw" brightest young men on the noun.
tain, and that ho would he satisfied with
either Of them for n son-in-lnw.
Sam and Evan had wrcstlcd. and run,
lI IlfIJ Il 4 Al. AZ. saI
varying success, and eager animosity
Nothing but Annc's thrcat that she would
discard tho first one who made black
guard of himself kept them from open
and deadly lIUstilitics. Both knew she
was girl Of pluck, and would keep her
word, and hence their fierce spirits were
kept in the outward bond of pence.
Meantime, tho Great Ash Cullicry was
turning out we'll the scam was promising,
and the 'dip' was worry gradual and uni.
form. II was, therefore, resolved to sink
another shaft directly north of, and about
two thousand feet from, the Great Ash
Shaft; and II was estimated that, by the
time this new shaft was put down, the
workings would be driven from the Great
Ash To meet IL, and thus secure perfect
~ SNl Nll NlIGWSl NIu u
"dOwncast" shaft. Evan Hughes and
Sam Grilliths wcro employed to sink tho
new shaft, which was clIristcnrd the Great
Oak. They took alternate shifts of foul
hours, ono "boring." while tho other, ns
sisted by an old bnnks-mun, named l,iI
Conway, drew up the clay and stono will
q rope and windlass. When they descend
cd to the limestone, each man drilled hi
blnst.lIOlc with hand hammer, liko tina
uscd by stonc.drcsscrs, drilling IL nbou
twelve inches deep, and then charging /
with coarsc blasting powder. No fus
was used for igniling the charge; but
copper. pointed "nccdlc" was placed ol
th0 powder, and allowed to STAND unit
the hole wns tightly stcmmcd with clay
slate. Then the needle was CAREFUL,
withdrawn, and the hole filled with fine
grain IF powder Tho "shoL" being thu
far prepared, the man below sung out io
the cord, when ono end of tightly. y.twistC,
line wHs let down tho shaft, md then SC
curCly stcmmcd into the top of tho shot
hole. Tho bottom end Of the line bcin
now secured, aud surrounded by fine pow
der, and the other end in tho hands &
tho bnnk's.mali, the man below garO III
usual signal, aud was forthwith drawn {
bank. a rcd-hot ring, three or fuurinCllc
in diameter, was then taken from III