Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-08-03
DANDY FERGUSON:
Or the Hero of the ChaparraI Shaft


Dandy ferguson when saw him for the first
line, that calm summer afternoon, laughing
and Joking with a crowd of boon companions
IN the cool shade OF an awning at Quartz
Mountain His face was scanned and di,tort-
cd by peculiarly glossy ScarS-the ineradicable
evidence OF close and long contact with that
shriveling element, fire. His body was bent
and he walked with siding movement. He
was a sickening spectacle at first sight, Sug-
ees!lhg fearful suffering in the pass, and my
curiosity in regard to him was thoroughly
Who is that mani" 1 asked. accosting
tall, blue Shirted miner who was standing i'm
fl ont of the post office.
Don't you know him." answered the man;
why, that's Dandy Ferguson. l thought
ey'lybOdy knew Dandy Ferguson
why do you call him Dandy Ferguson"
Because-well, because he used to be
dandy-a regular ut7an'out sport. When
| Danny Ferguson first came to this camp he
was git-edged gentleman, and no mistake.
| He wore plug, an flashed spark in his billed
shiltfront as big as peanut He put on more
dog mine Supei intendent, an most ali the
| boys was down on him from the start. Thet
was about three years ago, an he come up here
| from the Bay to git Whit o fresh air, an
| make nature an the pines give him back what
| he'd lost spreein' round with them stock sharps
| an young bloOdS o Frisco. No, he don't look
| like he was morn half human, that's fact;
| but d rather have them scars o his than wear
| the clothes of the richest man in CalifOrny-
tibet IS, ef ia gone through what he has an
| thar a Mt man in this yer country-no sir
| nor in this yer state-aS Is prouder'n DANDY
Ferguson of what other men might grieve over
an sign ABOUT, an no mans got better right
When he fust came TO Quartz Mountain he
| used to parade the streets with his nose cooked
| up-So; he ID hydraulic himself with patchouly
an smell,water till y u cUuldl'C giJ within a
mile of him: He was delic tie looking cu>s,
| an his hands were as soft as a BARRIERS. The
boys used to bet that If big Bridget Sullivan
| our Observation-Disclosures to take il into her
head to jump him, she'd knock spots out O.
| him In derned short order. Thet was our
opinion of him " hen he played his small cards
in this yer camp-but he showed down both
bowers and the ace before he quit the game,
Dye see tibet quartz mill over thar on the
side hill? Thet's the Chaparral mine, We know,
an it's thar tibet Dandy Ferguson showed US
what sand was. One night about a month
| after Ferguson got here somebody out there
yelled Fire an the camp turned out The
a aJIna s works was ash In light blaze an the
| rushed TO the spot like pack o mad ami
malS-yOu know how fire Stirs men I'D an
to do, an for a minute We all stood round
lOokin at the fire creepin' long the caves. an
the burnin' shingles droppin' down the shaft.
Purity soon some one says What kinder
sharp an fierce like Then there was a little
movement in the crowd, an man with face
as pale as death springs away from the mouth
night shifts in the lower drift There
was an awful agony in tibet mans voice;
down there, an tibet the fire under the bier of
the engine was banked, tibet the cage was too
heavy to work by hand, an the timberS in the
sparks droppin' down like flakes i'm a snow
storm. You've heerd how fast a man thinks
In times of danger. Jim Slocum thought of
his brother, the dry timberS, the engine, the
cage, and water, all in second, but that was
all. He didn't hev time to think of the fact
tibet there wasn't bari of water within
mile of the mine. Somebody rushed to the
tank-there was about tubful of water there.
The fire was playin' round the biIer, an the
thet out We all rushed every T which ~ way iay
yellin' fur ropes, ladders, anything:-as eff lad
ders could reach down two hundred feet to
with excitement, an didn't know what to do do,
an the fire roarin' and cracklin' like the
devils own blaze.
while some of them stood starin' into the hot
black smoke an yaller fire, dazed, scared
helpless. Quicker'n it takes me. to tell it, a
man jumped through the door Of the histin'
works an caught hold OF the chains. His coat
an hat was gone. an he looked like an
anget-amost-as he swung over the shaft in
1t was Dandy Ferguson. He didn't wait for
nobody, but damned big Scantlin' tibet two
men couldn't lifted down over the shaft.
near the door to fetch him the OF win lass tibet
was lynn outside, near the dummy. You never
see men work like they did as soon as Their
was a head: The rope an the Win'laSS was
brought into the works on the Jump an fds-
teued TO the scantlin'. Down went the rope
and Ferguson shouting after it. I'm here,
boys, an I'll stay till L roast Then he grab.
: barI EASTERN it ever was rolled before. He
used one hand FIRST, an whsn SIR. .i"rht4nad
he laid the other on. 81 Holden wanted In
help MN, put ne wouldn't hev no interference
Time enough says Ferguson, when drop ;
III wasn't long before a half naked BODY
came up, and they got the rope OFF as quick a.
yneS could la draggin Harry Miller out of the
1hey Thought at the time that he was scared
at the danger he d been in an didn't notice
how much exhausted he was: but they found
smart as mean as one man can play il on an
other at SIGH time. You see there was five of
EN- III the lower drift, an when the burnil'
umberS of the upper works began to drop
Gown they ali made a rush fur the main shaft
The cage was on an they couldn't get out Tin
rope came down. They could see a flicker
hoarSe Watchin tibet glimmer CROWN bright
ern brighter ev'ry minute, an KNOWN tibet
the slattin' timberd blaze mighty soon an
cut Oft all hope of their ever gittin' out 1t was
terrible Thought an you can't blame Bill Slo-
cum II grabbin' the rope as soon as it dropped
DOWN Sin, TO ,em; Harry Miller jumped longside
Let 60, d-n We, let go! They can't lift
TWO OF US Let go yerself, shouts Slocum,
turnin round on him like tiger.
| " MY old mothers up there yelled Slocum
pointin' up the shaft.
My wife's watin' fur me- bowls Miller,
| AN with tibet he knocks Slocum down i'm
the drift an goes up the rope hand over hand
| before the others could sop him-theyd a
| Killed him on the spot eff he hednt climbed the
| rope as he did. Starved him right? Kerrect
| mister; they'd Sarved him mighty Well right
| an no mistake, but he beat tibet game He'd
| 1lSt Strength enough 10 tie the slack round his
| waist w ell he gave way all at once, an hung
on TO the end of the rope like dead weight ans
| Dandy Ferguson haulin' him out o. the fiery
| Jaws o death. Down went the rope agin an
| SlOcum was tied on an hauled up, Ferguson
| WOrkln' the win lass like giant. The cords
| STOOD out on his neck like black snake whips
| an the sweat poured off him like a slutce
| stream Two COrnishmen stood by him tryin'
| 10 make him let them roll up the rope while he
| rested but he cussed 'em an told em TO dry
up; he said he was at the wheel an he'd stay
there Ell he died fur it. Wen SlOcum came up
the fire was all around an over the win'lass
| an the two Cornishmen grabbed Bill an car.
| ried him out-they couldn't stan the heat
Ferguson sent down the rope agin' an up
| come Sam Hldreth, with jist strength enough
| to make fur the door.
The roof over the bler and the pitch on the
door posts was smOkin. Jist as the rope went
down fur the fourth time, an we loafin' round
on the outside watchin' Dandy Ferguson
standln' there like man at the stake ex-
pectin' every minute to see him drop, an no.
man OF us with gumption enough to think
what was wanted, a woman ruShes into the
merry furnace an sings wet blanket over
the bravest, gamest man in the state O. Cali.