Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1880-08-14
FORT CHURCHILL.
Muscle-Oil and Mosquitoes.

OdTiy hoy OOU kH0W, reClr6u my
self bout one month ago to pleas
ant nook on the Carson in the vicin-
ity of Fort Churchill.
Fort Churchill is pleasant spot.
Some of your readers may not know
that this grand Old reminder of gov.
ernmental munificence and extrav-
agance is now mass of crumbling
ruins. The walls, viewed from q
distance, give it the appearance of
some fendal, castellated ron-entity
Of the European middle ages. But
they were.built less than quarter
OF q century ago, and for the tame
purpose of protecting the country
from the phlegmatic Piutes. No
fighting was done or called for after
the building of the fort, but the of
ficers and men remained there revel-
ing in ease and debauchery for
eight years-what an indulgent
father was Uncle Sam! So much
for the fort.
desired something more than
recreation; was in search OF mus
cle-oil-a commodity which I occa
sionally need, but which I have very
little time to manufacture while at
my regular avocation.
found an excel.e place to pros
pect for this article at Squire Bnck-
lands ranch near the Aforesaid fort.
The method in vogue at the present
time for prospecting for this article
Is peculiar one-it is peculiar to
ranchmen everywhere, 1 understand.
To particularize; Morning tocsin,
sunrise; morning bell for break fast,
fifteen minutes later; another fifteen
minutes and you are en-route for the
field Corporations, and upon the field
the business begins.
joined party and was assigned
three pronged implement with a
long handle, called pitchfork. The
handle didn't suit me, and, "unbe-
known" to the Squire. l sawed off
about ten feet of the upper end.
was to run this fork-I was to
run il into or under punches of veg
etable material called hay) found
here and there upon the land surface,
and toss them upward to u man sta
toned upon four. wheeled, two
horsed apparatus called a wagon.
struck oil" rich the first fore
noon and rested on my laures in the
afternoon-I didn't want n incur the
Jealousy of my comrads by too large
an accumulation at first.
The regular prospecting continues
till sunset, after which supper Is in
order. | prospected ten days and
ohtaine4 aji eaough to last me about
ten yeas ;.yiired from the bust
ness upon the ground that was suf-
ficiently rich IN the article desired.
There was a@2ther and migh,ier reas-
on; had baen 50 busy in manufac-
turing muscle-oil that had neglec-
ted to oil the muscles. I expected to
use them about the first of Septem-
Der, AID thought it best to get them
10 order at once.
There IS serious draw back to
prospecting on TIE Carson. Multtui-
dinous elephantine mosquitoes roam
everywhere ad libitum. They pros
pect for fluid that is the basis of all
life operations-it is the germ which
makes muscle-Qil possibility. They
insert their trem endous proboscides
into the oil-flowing surface and ex-
tract this vital element, thus weak
ening the oil sahd the human .mds-
pector.
But that I am forbid to tell the
secrets of my experiences, I would a
tale unfold" in regard to mosquito
depredations "whose highest word
would set the world ablsze." Let
some man desirous of fame invent a
cheap, effective method of Kidding
the world of this pest, and he will
not only deserve but receive the
thanks of " millions yet to BEES
pecially of the millions yet to be in
the Carson Valley. Christianity
would raise its voice and place him
on the calendar of saints.
should like to say word in re-
gard to some of the very excellent
people of the Valley and the beauti-
full ranches there, but / have already
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