The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-13

one-ntth English. Welsh and Scotch and the other
fifth Canadians French and Americans. This esti-
mattel havefrom prominent member of the Miners
Union They not to be classed with laborers;
the miner is skilled mechanic generally intelligent.
orderly and sober Most of the superintendent are
men who have worked underground with pick.
shovel and drill. The biggest millionaire the
Pacific slope miner. and is prouder of that
fact than OF his millions He is incessant worker,
looks to every detail of his mines on the surface;
is about from five A. NJ. to i've p. NJ and goes into
the mines every day and sometimes through the
night He is perfect Hercules with brain brim-
ful of facts and common sense. My task is not to
phosophize about "good luck" know nothing
but the providence of facts.
Working of a mine requires brains everywhere
and from the owner OF the mine down through the
superintendent foremen. shift bosses to the pick
boy clear heads indispensable as strong and
brawny arms. The French officer to whom referred
in my first letter who was astonished at finding
well read clerk behind desk in q small country
hotel in California. would be surprised with some
acquaintance he might make in the mines on the
Comstock. They eght-hour men, and by a
very just arrangement their "shifts" changed
every two weeks. The division of the day is from
seven A. NJ. to three p. NJ. from three p. M. to
eleven p. NJ, from eleven p. M. to seven
A. NJ; so all of them have their share
of daylight every month. in which they
have the opportunity for intellectual improvement
and also the day leisure for attending to their own
personal business Many of them have dealt in
stocks and got rich, and as many more perhaps
could tell Of their utter ruin by contrary expert
ence, Many influential citizens of California and
Nevada have their in the mines learning to be
miners 1t is the most promising profession in the
country.
DIVISION OF MINING LABOR.
AS classification of this industrial labor the fol-
lowing statement of the average number of men en-
ployed in all capacities is interestingly foremen.
assistant foremen. IL shift Bosses timekeepers,
shippers samplers "a assayers, ~ engineers,
brakemen. firemen, 8 watchmen, 10 backsmiths, 8
machinists, riggers. IL shaftmen, 70 bulkheaders
10 surface timbermen Is carpenters. II carmen 1880
miners Total, 1913 men, and TAO men employed at
the wood ranch of the Pacific Wood, Lumber and
Fume Company This is the force of one group Of
mines.
SILENCE IN THE MINE
While mines are still yielding ore the management
very properly keep all valuable information to them
selves. We're it otherwise the streets would be filled
with wild rumors. good and bad, every hour Of the
day. There is visibly asense of obligation to keep
silence about every person associated in any way
with mine. Every one realizes that knowledge is
fully belongs to the officers OF the company and not
to the employees the public. Before rejecting
over this situation struck with the silence of
the miners underground. The sharp ring of the
miners pick could be heard at 'the breast"
the hum and buzz of the cooling blowers, the
oscillating and action of the patent drills, the
Sizing of the escaping steam and the rumblng
of the Wine machinery. but not human
voice away from that Of our own small party, in
qury might be made information volunteered.
Through the long drifts the candles burned freely.
illuminating the darkness and making every object
visible enough; revealing the miners at work, rest
ing or passing from place to place. Groups coming
to work; others standing in line to take their
turn in getting on to 1.-THE cage to mount to the
surface. No one spoke to his neighbor. The super
intendent had something to say to the foreman and
the latter had some inquiry to make Of 1.-THE
shift boss" but all the others might have been
deaf and dumb. In passing along from place to
place dropped word here and there in the way Of
Good morning. gentemen!" but no tongue an
swercd and eye sent back responsive glance. At
first thought the miners might be of foreign ma
tionality and not understand my language. but the
second thought brought forward the fact-it sys
tem the science of military service sensibly applied
in civil industry. Where large bodies Of men are
working together silence is wholesome and profit
able but engaged in industry where the work Of
an hour in a rich body of striking "hump"
of worthless porphyry might change the values Of
stock the tune OF millions, it becomes imperative
that miners ''have eyes and not. and hear
not" and tongues that never even whisper.
THE TRICKS THE TRADE.
Where great gains often effected by little early
information the condition of the mine il is to be
expected that every will be resorted in order
30 Thara bara live
this information and Immediately forwarding it telc
graphically in cipher, to brokers in San Francisco
Such professionals called pointers" as they fur
nish the points which determine the purchase or
the sale of stocks The pointer, of course, is I'M
known and to be successful he should be the last
gentleman to be suspected of any hdison with the
miners. A good story, and true. believe is told of
young man who working in one of the bonanza
mines at time when "a horse was struck Two
hours before his shift would have performed it's
task he swooned and fell among the rock The imita
ton was excellent. and his sympathizng comrades
treated him with the utmost care dashing upon him
ice water and carrying him to the coolest place the
level, where he could be supplied with fresh air
from the blowers. He however. persisted in not re-
covering and taken to the surface for which he
had artistically played. Immediately that he was
of the attentions Of those who had well cared
him the ''bear information. the "cipher" went over
the WIRE stocks hurriedy "shorted. the market
was bewildered. the got out, stocks broke in
wild confusion the pointer" and his friends made
large.amount of money and the swoonng miner
was handsomely rewarded. This sharp business was
quickly done and SO well executed that the first
intimation had by the superintendent Of the mine
of the presence of the "porphyry' or "horsc' in
the body of the rich was by telegram from San
Francisco. That superintendent is proverbinlly the
most vjgilant man the Comstock. but the little
swoon gave two hours the start Of the boss" re-
port at the end Of 1.-THE shift"
II is commonly believed that there are men work
ing the mines for the usual pay covering up the
more remuncrative reward they receive for supply.
ing brokers in San Francisco with valuable nforma
ton. Honorable miners not only dislike this du
plicity and decaim against it, but they feel IL a
serious annoyance. the leaking out of such infor
nation il apt to throw suspicion on the innocent
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