Sharp County record., 1878-12-12
Old Tunneling Pete.

Old "Tunneling Pete'' is what he
was always called, and if he had any
other name it was never heard on the
Pacific coast. 1t is said that he was
from the lead mines of Galena, ILL.,,
where they to this day tell how he bur-
rowed his way through the limestone
from cave to cave in his search for
mineral" making the cave last found
his abiding place. Even in those days
he was nearly always underground.
How he managed to endure the light of
day long enough to cross the plains has
always been a mystery to all who knew
him. Some sssers that,h he ttraveled or-
ly during the night, and others that he
wore a huge pair of goggles of black
glass. Old Pete landed in California in
l849, and, as soon as he struck the gold
en- soil, took pick and shovel and went
out of sight beneath it. During the 10
years he mined in California he was un-
der the ground most of the time, only
coming out to the light of the day at
night, as son of Erin would say. Old
Pete was regular ground. mole, and,
like that little animal, appeared to hate
the light of the sun, which kept him
winking and blinking, even when his
eyes were half closed, as they always
were when he was on the surface. In
California Old Pete mined the
gravel banks Mexican fashion, rum
ming coyote holes in them till they
were greater puzzle than was the fam
ed labyrinth of Crete. What he did
with the gold he found no one ever
knew, as he was never seen to have any
in his possession, nor was he ever seen
to purchase either food or drink. 1t
was the same in the lead mines, and
story came from Galena that he was not
human being, but a gnome in dis
grace in some shape with the beings of
his race. He was seen here on the
COmstock soon after silver was found,
but straightway disappeared under
ground. No one saw him on his way
hither, or knew he was coming; the
first intimation had of his migration
was when he was seen here. There
were those among the prospectors of
that day who swore that old Pete had
merely extended one of his California
holes, and so "eome square through the
Sierra Nevada Mountains" 1t is re-
ported that after the day of his arrival
he was not seen for over two years, when
he finally came out near where the
Town of Sutro now stands-,some now
say that Mr.. Sutro followed in on "Old
Pete's hole'' when he dug his tunnel,
otherwise he could never have found his
wayto the Comstock. The story goes that
when o Pete's head popped outthrough
the ground, down by the verge of the
valley, it was daylight, and when he
saw the cottonwood trees along the Car
son River he is said to have been in
terrible rage, as he had supposed he
was deep enough to pass under the
channel of the Carson and get beneath
the big peaks of Como. All day he sat
winking and blinking and cursing and
swearing in the mouth of his hole-for
old Pete was fearfully wicked-and at
night he gathered up his drifting bar,
pick and shovel, and crossed over the
hills to Flowery District, where he set
to work, and was out of sight under the
base of big hill long before morning.
He was seen on the surface, in the twi-
light and of moonlight nights, two or
three times each year by the miners of
Flowery until about three years ago,
when he seemed to have disappeared
for good. No one cared much whittier
he had gone, for he was an unsightly