The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-12-23
Quiet. peaceful character vanishes; it become

it sets death traps in every direction. Here
a whirling eddy. smooth enough on its sur
face and seemingly harmless, yet possessed
of invisible arms, more powerful than those
of the devil fish, to suck and carry men
down into its lowest depths; there n,ael-
strom, raging and roaring over the rocks
hidden beneath. During the freshet the
banks CULVER and tremble as the immense
power whirls and foams past, and your
voice is caught from your lips and hurled
into indistinctness. From ss'49" upwards,
every one of these mountain gold-bearing
streams has claimed a long list of victims,
and many brave fellow has been caught in
their deadly embraced never to be seen af-
forwards.
The Stanislaus was blooming" one Spring
afternoon at its highest water mark, when
five Chinaman, incumbered with their
blankets, bundles, rockers, jackers. pans,
and shovels, came stringing down the Park
Hill trail They stopped and refreshed
themselves for time at the China store,
and then, accompanied by Wang Chu'
placed themselves and baggage in his boat
to be ferried over.
A quarter of mile below their starting
place was the Black Rock, gigantic bowl
der, which for centuries had pitted itself
| against the stream. 1t was not more than
| $50 yards from the shore, and the STAINS
| laus at this point was not more than double
| that distance in width. Here the waters,
suddenly narrowed to this compass betwlxt
rocky walls, rushed rather in succession
of great waves or bursts tnan regular cur
rent This, in fact, was the upper entrance
of the Zig Canon, two miles in length, and
by reason of the rocky walls and raging cur
| Il ho cufr nj tu
accomplished here at the most favorable
season. Directly opposite the Black Rock,
on little knoll, was the cabin cot Tlmid
Sims. He, in company with chance part
ner, was working on the bank near by.
Sims was always picking up the waits,
stragglers, and castaways drifting about the
country. His house and scanty larder we're
ever open to them He took them as part
ners. and trusted them as freely as though
| they had come burdened with trunks full Of
Endorsements andI testimonials of good
character. Sometimes they robbed him,
sometimes they got drunk and made his
house pandemonium; sometimes they eff
fec,ed the same result without the aid of
whisky, by gardually developing sour, surly,
ferocious dispositions The best Of the lot
carried the gross result in gold dust of a
weeks Washing to Columbia for the purpose
Of turning it into coin. and after many days
waiting, therefore, Sims received letter
| from the delinquent, stating that ne was ov-
erwhelmed with shame and remorse but he
had given way to his besetting sin for gan
bling, and the dust had all gone intOthe nav
of the tiger" He dad not proved an alb e
workman either His hands seemed never
before to have grasped pick and shovel; and
after mornings's gasping labor, Sims
would often insist that he should remain at
home during the afternoon and make him
self comfortable for i; was q sore distress
to see man painting and struggling with
work to which it was very clear he was I'M
| accustomed.
You'll get your throat cut one OF theee
nights by some of these chaps you're always
picking up" was rough the and condescend-
ing advice of Jim Freenantle to Sims. Sims
looked as if the idea was entirely new to
him, but the next stragger coming along
was as readily taken in.
1t was about eleven o'clock. Sims and
his CO operative siraggler had put through
their last run of twenty-five buckets, and
were washing down to see how it had
yielded. The sieve AMI apron Of the rocker
were taken off There was q great deal OF
black sand in the bottt m of the apparatus.
This Sims was running off by means of sue
cessve streams of water, poured from his
long handled dipper, aided by peculiar
rapid rocking of the machine. Slowly, at
the upper end, the black sand deposit as
sumed the shape of point, and near the
apex, one after another, came out little
run of golden yellow faxes.
Taxes good deal of dirt to make lit
tie gold, doesn't III" said the straggler.
when | was on the North Fork of the Yu-
ba, in 81, got six ounces once out oftwen-
ty-fve buckets. Them was the times,
though" So
There's about two bits here. | guess,
said Sims well, thet's better than moth
ing, and we Amt beholden to any one for it
either like gold claim TOR one thing
it pays you just the same whether you re
Jew or GENTLE, Catholic or Protestant. Re-
publican or Democrat. | say, Tom. if those
Cinnamon start to cross the river in that old
boat of Wang Chu's. they'll drown"
The boat had started. and was gliding up
an eddy in direct opposition I the course
of the stream For the immense mass of
water rushing down and striking the rocks
at the narrow entrance OF the Big Canon.
caused a portion nearest shore on either
side to be sent directly back full three hun
dred Yards For this distance there were
| two smooth currents running up; between
them. q toaming, surging current, rushing
down. BY taxing advantage OF these up
ward eddies sKillful hoatsuan could land
his craft on either side nearly opposite the
point from which he had started.
, Wang Chu and his passengers sailed
smoothly along until the upper eddy being
reached, the boats head was turned into the
mid current Them it seemed as If seized
by a monster 1t was whirled around like
top. shot for second on the top of a
great surge. and shot down again out OF
sight and under. There was a momentary
glimpse of the Ave men, padding wildly
anu half rising from their seats, the next
they were all gone. A numbered yards be-
low. like 4 whale shooting out of water to
| blow. came the boat, bottom up from the
depths. and cliuging to her was Wang Chu.
Ii was dashed against the Black Rock, and
pressed under by the current Wang Chu
sprang on the rock. The rest were never
seen. Sims and the straggler gsxed ike men