Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1876-04-29

THE GREAT AMERICAN WELL-DIGGER.-
The card of Col. Buckner, the inevitable
+ spade singer and pick-axe whirler, ap-
pears duly placarded on the bulletin
board of this issue of the Wing and Trib-
une, and to meet the urgent wants Of his
patrons, he has hung out his slate from
the outer wall, and has resumed business
with vim that he confidently hopes will
enable him TO resume specie payment in
advance Of the resumption act Of 1879.
Col. Buekner, in a brief conversation,
Informed us that he had dug over one
thousand wells, and that he had descen-
ded Oftener, perhaps, than any man in
the world on the umbilicai hempen cord
into the bowels Of Mother Earth. On
one occasion he delved so deeply, and
approached so near the subterranean
fires, that his spade melted in his hands,
and the brass buttons on his pants rolled
up into crisp and became the veriest
dross. In order to keep from being
roasted like herring" he beat hasfy
retreat for the surface Of the ground.
On another occasion he went so deep
well diggers have the happy knack of
finding, that he distinctly heard the
'sheathen Chinee" coming down from
the ether side of this Ground terrestrial
ball" Indeed he thinks their picks col
lided, as he undoubtedly saw stars CLINT
ing in the gloom, and not knowing pre-
eisely the number OF his enemies, and
having heard of their unconquerable
fondness for "pOrk," he again struck for
the happy hunting grounds, above
ground, and on times side of eternity
just as he emerged, however, into the re-
giOns Of daylight, the well caVed in, and
the passage between this side and China
was closed forever, otherwise intercom-
munication between this and the oldest
empire in the world would have been in
evitably established, and how much safer
would the transit be through Buckner's
hole than through the dangerous high |
ways and byways Of the raging Pacific |
As we said before Col. Buekner has spent |
much Of his time on the pendant cord, |
swinging in space like bird-hunter on /
the crags of the ocean, and as we have |
seen him vibrating to and fro as he des-
cended the narrow passage-we have ex-
con what slender thread hang
everlasting things" and yet, after half
of underground service, burrow-
ing with the moles and bats, Col. b. is
still an honest min, and is willing to
'ssling dirt" at the lowest rates. In mis-
absence orders on his slate will be receiv-
ed by Mr.. Cameron, and no man shall
say henceforth in Jackson that he can't
have his well dug.
Indeed, Col. Buckner says that there is
only one place on the continent where he
could possibly fail in business, and that
is Cairo. On one occasion he dug a well
there for the city authorities, near the
calabOose (nO insinuatiOn, friends, that
he ever served day in one, and was set
Ting his fine by work on the streets,)
and the first push Of his spade in the soil
struck such flowing stream that to keep
from being drowned, he escaped behind
IN artificial embankment, known as
eYee. His faith in Noah's flood has al
ways been firmly fixed since that occur
renee, and when the waters "abated'' he
Knows exactly where they went to. Col.
Buckner's motto is desceRSits AUerai JacHc
st, which being interpreted, means that
we'll digging is not such bad thing after