The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-07-29

VOcltcratlOn OF contradictory orders TO
each other. The result was generally a
lodgment of the "The Ark " quarter
of mile below it's starting point on the
opposite side, aud suspension of all
Wang Chu's other business until it was
towed by hand against the current back
again.
All the white men on the river wcro
agreed on one point, that the "Ark !"
would drown somebody ere its mission
was ended. On this being told Wang
Chu, as an additional precaution he
painted another eye in the stern, sacri-
feed pig to some Mongolian marine
deity, burnt more joss-sticks, and ter
minated the ceremonies with another
outpouring of gin and opium.
In the summer time q California
mountain river is an attenuated, feeble
stream, that one may ford at every hun
dred yards; an alienation of rivulets,
motionless pools, boulder covered
islands and great granite boulders rear
ing themselves high out OF the waters.
But when swollen by the long continued
rains of winter or the melting SHOWS of
the Sierras in the spring, its quiet,
peaceful character vanishes; it becomes
turbulent, roaring, treacherous mon
ster; it sets h-traps in every direc-
ton. Here a whirling eddy, smooth
enough on its surface 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 q mael-
strom, raging and roaring over the rocks
hidden beneath. During the freshet
the banks quiver and tremble as the i'm
mense power whirls and foams past, and
your voice is caught from your lips and
hurled into indistinctness. From $40 I"
upward, every one of these mountain
gold-bearing streams has claimed long
list of victims, and many brave fellow
has been caught in their deadly en-
brace never to be seen afterward.
The Stanislaus was blooming" one
spring afternoon at its highest water
mark, when five Cinnamon, encumbered
with their blankets, bundles, rockers,
jacks, pans and shovels, came stringing
down the Park Hill trail. They stopped
and refreshed themselves for time at
the stream, and then, accompanied by
Wang Chu, placed themselves and bag
gage in the boat to be ferried over.
A quarter of mile below their start
ing place was the Black rock, gigantic
boulder, which for centuries had pitted
itself against the stream. 1t was not
more than one hundred and fifty yards
from the shore, and the Stanislaus at this
point was not more than double that dis
tance in width. Here the waters sud
denly narrowed to this compass betwixt
rocky walls, rushed rather in success
sion of great waves or bursts than q
regular current This, in fact, was the
upper entrance of the Big canyon, two
miles in length, and by reason of the
rocky walls and raging current, no min
ing could ever be successfully accom-
plished here at the most favorable sea-
son. Directly opposite the Black rock,
on little knoll, was the cabin of Timid
Sims. He, in company with a chance
partner, 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 were ever open to them. He took
them as partners, and trusted them as
freely as though they had come burden
ed with trunks full of Endorsements and
testimonials of good character. Some
times they robbed him; sometimes they
got drunk and made his house pande-
monium; sometimes they effected the
same result without the aid of whisky,
by gradually developing sour, surly,
ferocious dispositions. The best of the
lot carried the gross result in gold dust
of weeks washing to Columbia for the
purpose of turning it into coin, and after
many days waiting therefor, Sims re-
ceived letter from the delinquent,
stating that he was overwhelmed with
shame and remorse, but he had given
way to his besetting sin for gambling,
and the dust had all gone into the nav
of the +" tiger" He had not proved an
able workman either. His hands seemed
never before to have grasped pick and
shovel; and after a mornings gasping
labor, Sims would often insist that he
should remain at home during the after
noon and make himself comfortable, for
1t was sore distress 20 see a man psk t.
ing and struggling with work to which
it was very clear he was uuaccustomed.
"Youu get your throat cut one of
these nights by some of these chaps
you're always picking up" was the
rough and condescending advice of Jim
to Sims. Sims looked as if
the idea was entirely new to him, but the
next straggler coming along was readily
taken in.
1t was about eleven o'clock. Sims and
his cooperative straggler had put
through their last run of twenty-five
and were washing down to
see how it had yielded. The sieve and
apron of the rocker We're taken off.
There was great deal of black sand in
the bottom of the apparatus. This Sims
was running off by means of successive
streams of water, poured from his long
handled dipper, aided by peculiar
rapid rocking of the machine. Slowly,
1T the upper end, the black sand deposit
the shape of point, and near
the apex, one after another, came out a
little run of golden yellow fakes.
"Takes a good deal of dirt to make q
little gold, doesn't it9" said the strag-
gler. "When L was ON the north fork
Of the Tuba, in 81, 1 got six ounces
once out of twenty-five buckets. Them
was the times, though"
"There's about two bits here, 1
guess" said Sims. "Well, that's better
than nothing; and we amt beholden to
my one for it either. 1 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 to the
course of the stream. For the immense
mass of Waterrushing down and striking