Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-03-06
THE TRANSFERS ESCAPE.

When the IlI-Starred Condor mine was
first opened in 1869, Nat Reines, for
many years teamster in that part Of
Arizona, undertook to team the engine
boiler, battery "stamps," and other
heavy milling machinery, together with
supplies, from place called Great Bend
on the ella river
Reines was then well-known charac-
ter along the overland stage-route; and
the writer, at that time, was in his en-
ploy. In fact, was his nephew.
This viii better account for my emf
grating to such country. For any
body who recollects what the population
of Arizona was twelve years ago will
think that man ought perhaps to salts
faotorily explain how he came to be
there.
The mine above mentioned was stu
ated in the range north of the ella, from
forty to fifty miles above the point where
we took the machinery from the trans
portation company.
Uncle Nat was to have $1,000 in gold
for hauling up the outfit, an offer liberal,
certainly, and such as could only be
made in Arizona. But of course he had
to run his own risks and take his chances
of the Apaches getting his scalp, as in
deed we all did in those days.
No one was safe outside the forts, or
could even guess with any certainty
where the savages would strike their
next blow. They were out continually,
securing the whole territory, and lived
on plumber.
We had three six-mule teams. It was
supposed that to complete the contract
it would take four round trips-about
months work altogether.
There were, beside myself, two other
Transfers, cold Rube Floods" as we
called him, and Mexican nicknamed
"Lonze, with two spare hands. brothers,
from Missouri, named Stroudsly.
We drivers rode or walked as the case
demanded, and had each, In addition to
his knife and cart-whip, Henry rife,
which we were expected to be ready to
use at moments notice.
Uncle Nat had associated with him
then a Texan, one Dan Lowell, as part
ner. They two rode at the head of the
teams, with their rifles and revolvers;
and theirs were the only horses in the
train.
No one who has not been through the
Southwest can begin to imagine Just
what strange, half-finlshed-lookin
country Arizona is-at least some parts
of it.
The hills and mountains have a singu-
larry rugged, dark aspect. Then there
come stretches of coarse blue gravel,
where there isn't so much as a weed
growing, for miles and miles. When
there is grass, it IS curious, coarse, out
landish stuff.
The woods are as peculiar as the grass
thorn thickets, or brown jungles of
grease-wood end meskit. These latter
grow mostly along the iver-bottoms, or
in the agroyas, or gullies, of brooks.
Then, to crown all, come the great
clumsy cactuses, with huge scanned
trunks and broad, thick limbs, Or leaves,
covered with thorns- out of
dry gravel-hills and among lodges and
rocks where no other living thing could
draw moisture sufficient to live.
Our route up from the ella lay much
Of it through a desert of this sort. It
took us three days to make the trip up
to the mine, and two back.
On our first trip we hauled the boiler.
We had fourteen mules, heavy ones, too,
to draw it. and two spare spans for hard
places. 1t was ponderous load, but
we got it safely through. Then came
the stamps, battery and other gear.
The load for the third trip was sup
plies of all sorts-beef, flour, corn, min
ing tools, powder, etc. There were also
eight or ten kegs of powder and three
heavy boxes, which, I remember, were
quite puzzle to US, as to what was in
them. They were branded "Nobel's
Blasting Oil )" and when handled and
jolted, there sifted out of the cracks of
the boxes fine, white powder, like
-four.
Nobel's blasting oil is nothing more
nor less than nitro-glycerine. That was
necessary to inclose within them con-
siderable charges OF powder fred by a
common safety fuse, or else powerful
decorating cap. fired also by fuse.
Under ordinary circumstances, how
ever, there is little danger of accidental
explosions from nitro-glycerine, either
from light shocks or from fire. To ex-
plode charges of nitro-glycerine, it is
the name 1t was used under TOR time
after its discovery, or rather its practical
application to blasting, by Alfred Nobel,
in 1863
Dynamite which is nitro-glycerine
put in a dry form by mixing it with sill
cious earth-was not devised till six or
seven years later.
The law at one time required that, for
transportation, nitro-glycerine should be
put up In tin cans, and these packed in
plaster of paris in cases or boxes.
ElecIrlcfGy can De employed Tor THIS
purpose. Nitro-glycerine may be set on
fire with match, or lighted shaving,
and will burn slowly without exploding.
On the second day out, upon this third
trip, we were attacked by the Apaches.
A band of them, under chief we'll
known in that part of the Territory, as
cold Coochies," waylaid us at one of
the arroyas, or gullies.
Thirty or forty of them were hidden
In the ray1ne; and as we came up to
cross it, they swarmed out both above
us and below, yelling and shooting their
arrows and pI1nS No dOI1bt thew