The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-06-20
WESTERN MINERS.

ii miner mas not complied with all the
requirements of law his claim Cor mine) can.
ON the second New Years day following the
date OF location, be relocated by himself or
others who may be on the ground before
him. 1t thus happens that on every New
Years day in mining district there is much
strife IN the numerous attempts to secure
claims supposed to be valuable. The Salt
Lake Tribune notes several incidents, more
or less ludicrous, of the kind indicated.
A person stuck up notices on claim near
a cabin in which three men were awaiting
early morning to locate it. The To-
cater, after securing the claim. thoughtfully
woke the boys to tell them they needn't get
up so early, as the claim WINS located.
One party on location, who owned it un-
al II o'clock, stood two Others off until that
hour on his rights as owner. At exactly IL,
he put his notices in the split stakes aud
sang II o'clock before the others who had
10 watch, knew what time it was, and
then drove off.
prospector started out with his notices
written and in his pocket. He lost them on
the way seven miles from home, had no pencil
nor paper, and returned home while another
man located the claim.
The entire 450 men out that night had to
eat their whisky and milk. Everything
froze solid, and the bottles broke Meat
butter, bread, apples aud cake were frozen
bard.
There was little episode in Quigley's
Gulch, wherein three bad partners had made
1t up to relocate themselves in claim and
leave out the fourth partner. The latter
had previously been warned against coming
npon the claim that night, and was told by
friend that his partners were going to re-
locate it all to themselves; so he secured n
rifle, and after the three bad partners had
gone up to the mine he crawled up on the
shady side of the gulch to a cabin below the
claim about 100 yards, and there watched.
At ;t5 his partners stacked out the ground
and put up notices, whereupon, with a fear.
tul yell he turned loose with his gun, and
could see tho crusted snow fly at every pop
Just over his partners heads. They heard tho
bullets humming so near their ears that
panic seized them, aud they fled for town.
AS soon MS they We're out of sight he quietly
walked up and located it all to himself, and
left his bad partners out Ill the cold
John Curtin with his partner went to relo-
cate a claim up on Sugar Loaf Peak, the
highest range or divide between Deer Greek
and Bullion, In trying to step too long
pace to set his end stake TO the top of the
peak at some groupings, his big-soled boots
slipped upon the snow crust which, by
exposure to the sun in the daytime melted
and again froze in the shade until il was n
sheet of ice down Che mountain side and
very pre;ipitous John went head first
following his hat to the bottom, 500 feet.
and lit ON big snow drift His clothes
we're torn and his finger nails worn off by
elutching at the crust. Getting up to see
if he was all there, he heard his partner
calling, and hallooed back His partner
shouted: "What erdoing down there ?" and
John was 80 mad he answered: Was get.
ting SO cold, came Icwn after wood.n In
fifteen minutes he lit a fire in the grove he
arrived at so suddenly, and was joined by his
partner thirty minutes later, who was OK
hausted. John concluded that the Joke was
on his pard, after all.
weil-known bullion miner named Mike
Hynes had told all the boys he had several
rich locations to jump between the noted
mines. Before Christmas Day he had a
draugntsman and expert draw off his no.
tees aud put each one in box ON the claims
he intended jumping. Being a little behind
time on New Years eve, he was coming up
the gulch to tack up his boxes, and the first
square view he got of his intended claims
was ono calculated to make his hair stand on
end rs sitting on each end of the seven claims
and upon each of the seven boxes was a
man, and each man hal Winchester re-
eating rifle pointed at Mike, who was so ap-
mazed That he passed by each one merely
remarking: Good evening Happy New
Yearln And he didn't feel very we'll until he
got into saloon at Bullion, wa ere he
braced up and remarked that he guessed he
hadn't lost any mines and wouldn't give s.
for all he had come to jump. Nobody said
a word. The mute appeal of those rifle
barrels rs Mike looked into them was be-
lieved to have been enough.