The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-12-06
SUPERSTITION.
It Plays a Prominent Part in Min
ing.
Lucky and Unlucky Days for the
Prospector.
Sinking Shafts Under Strictly Spir-
itual Guidance.

From the Leadville Chronicle.
81 knew / wouldn't have any luck" said
an old prospectsr last evening, while discus
sing an unsuccessful tour into the noun
tains from which he has Just returned, 'for,
BY -, the sun didn't shine once the day |
started!"
Never was the mountaiueer more in earn
est in his life, and as a matter of fact he
simply voiced a superstition that is shared
by nine out of ten of his class. The giot of
it is this: A prospactor regards the day on
which lie starts into the mountains as in a
measure symbolizing the entire trip. For
instance, if it opens with clouds and closes
with sunshine, he regards the first half of
his mountain immigration with gloomy nais-
trust, but is willing to swear that he will
strike it rich before he returns. The super
stition cited is but one out of a hundred in
which the averag" miner and prospector in
dulge. Yes, this is by no means upnat-
ural, for it goes without saying thai all
those who lead a solitary or hazardous life
are doubly subject TO those mental phan-
tastes.
The exclamation of the old prospector
d1ifted the conversation naturally upon the
omens supposed to be particularly and pect-
liarly connected with mines and mining, and
the recital of not a few singular reminiscent
ces was the result. E~ncountering a negre
who crosses the read before the miner, is con-
s,rued in a gloomy style, and the prespector
whom some lady hits with a stone is very apt
to turn around and come back. In lonely
meditation in the mountain ~fastness the mind
strays off into 8 thousand wierdly fantastic
channels, and stories that would do honor to
the goblin lore of the Hartz are born. Near
ly all of the old suIch miners have heard of
the bell of warning, that is said to strike a
sombre note into the ear just before seine
gr at disaster. In this connection the writer
remembers startling experience that John
Manning, an old miner o dead, who form
erly made his headquarters here, used TO
love TO narrate. He heard the story on q
clustering winter day, in a little grocery store
where the old man was 'squsring up" his &C.
counts.
81 amt supelstitious, very,"said Manning,
when the conversation turned that way, "but
| tell you I've had experience that would
make most man So"
at was away over on the Gunnis0n," he
continued musingly, sin the year TO, and no
cabin i'll sight for fifty miles. l was camping
in one of the big canons that cut the MESA
d,u,,, toward the river--the lonasomast Dlara
you ever saw. Nothing but rocks and trees
heaped all together up to the timber line,
and a big strip OF blue sky above. 1t was one
Of those still summer nights, drovsy-liks,
aud nothing stirring, not even the wind, and
l was sitting in front Of my tent thinking and
thinking, when all on a sudden Iheard a bell.
l didn't hear it plain, but it was mournfLl
and low, and sounded as though it was miles
and miles away up In the canon, ! knew
very we'll there was no bell for half = hundred
| got up and tried to reason myself into the
idea that there weren't ne bell, but Just a
ringing in my ears, but when | would stop
and listen again, there it was, low but dis
tinct, and telling very slowly. I think it must
have rung that way for half an hour before
it stopped. That night happened to wake
up in my tent and the bell was ringing again.
l knew it was no human sound, and pulled
my blanket over my head aud after a while
went to sleep again.
''Tlle first letter l got from home had a
black band around it. Ny sister died
that very night l heard that bell a ringing,
way out in the mountains with 10 human
soul anywhere near. Three years after that
l heard it again. l was sinking a shaft with
my partner near breckenridge. We had
struck contact and were down thirty feet. He
was at the bottom working and | was At the
windlass when all at once the hell began
ringing. IL seemed miles and miles away,
but it struck a cold chill right in my heart.
The next minute the lower half of the shaft
that hadn't bssn timbsred yet, caved in and
buried my partner alive down at the bottom.
| / never heard il but oucs after that. 1t was
about two years ago at the---nine.
They had just put i'll q new plant Of machin-
cry and 1 was b~ossing the night shift. About
II O'Clock heard a bell a ringing like fury,
and come rushing up TO see what was the mat
ter. The engineer was standing in tie doc
of the engine room
"What in hell did you risg that bell for p
l asked.
go didn't ring no bell, he said, "a mans
just been killed, and we've got other things
to tend 10 besides ringin' bells.'
'Just 4 minute before one Of the workmen
had got bis hsad Caught in the machinery,
ground in up to his shoulders. lie died as
he laid there upon thef floor. Ever since that
1 can't hear e bell ring wiIhoat Ay hair ne
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