Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-08-19
A MINERS SUNDAY.
Metropolis Of the 0iggsH-Weicomed at
the MagnOIia-Th First "LOng Drink"
News Of the Week and Of the
0ay-Homexard Bound.

same sunshine as that Of the week day.
Yet, IS the miner wakes and realizes it
is Sunday, it has a different appearance
and conveys q different impression
from that ofthe week day sun, writes
Prentice Milford in the San Francisco
Chronicle. Everything seems more
quiet, more restful and more staid n
serious. There belongs to 1t and to the
landscape, as he looks at it, a flavor Of
far-away Eastern Sabbath bells n
Sunday mornings hush, and longer
family prayer than usual, and Sunday
School. But there is not
A Church Bell
within ten miles and there will never
be one heard on this flat. There is not,
so far as known, SO much as q man III
the least religiously inclined. We are
a hard lot. No work on the claim to-
day. The pick and shovel will rest
where thrown Saturday afternoon, ana
| only q trickle of yellowish water from
the reservoir will seep through the long
line of sluiees instead OF yesterdays
muddy surge rushing through-sand,
gravel, and grating pebble aud bowl
der.
But there is work of another sort to
be done, and a great deal of it. After
breakfast, shaving. Black pantaloons,
a white shirt, a felt or straw hat, q linen
buster and the Sunday boots. This is
his dandy outfit. In his pocket is a
buckskin purse, once yellow, now faded
to q dull gray, holding gold dust, a lew
ounces more or less, perhaps i've, per,
haps ten. 1t is the company dust, n
is 10 be sold and turned into bright, yell
low gold pieces.
Bnt why All this Preparation
TO go to camp" Camp Is three
miles away over the mountains yon'
der. A group of ram-shackle cabins
alternating with saloons, three grocery
stores, a hotel, an express Office and u
justice of the peace, all in a hot gulch,
with hill-sides long ago swept OF trees,
| SCARED with cuts and streaked with
patches of dry yellowish ledge. Camp"
to him has all the importance and in
terest of a great metropolis. 1t Is the
centre of news. The stage passes
through it on its way to a larger camp.
Two boss gamblers reside there. There
is a faro game OH occasions, a billiard
table with a mountainous sort of bed,
where the balls roll as they please and
after an eccentric fashion OF their own.
Camp is reached after a long, hot
walk. He suffers IN his store clothes
from the heat. In his working, every
day flannels he would not so much
mind it, but the restraint and ch0kl-
ness of starched linen are fatiguing.
He repairs first to the Magnolia. He
has long in imagination seen 1t from
afar. How cool is the big bar room.
The landlord keeps the floor well wet
down. That Magnolia floor Is one OF
the few places where water, unmiXed
with other fluid, is useful and grateful.
How comforting and soothing Is the
first drink. A long drink in a long
tumbler, with plenty of flee, soda-water
and whisky. II heaven be anywhere
as u material locality, it is in that first
cool drink after u three mile July tramp
over the kiln dried hills and heritage of
the California foothills. The Magnolia
is the social heart-centre Of camp.
There he finds the doctor. The doctor
drinks with him. The justice drinks
with him. The Judge drinks with him.
The principal camp gambler Is at the
Magnolia. He takes a light drink. He
IS q wise man, and knows the advaut-
age and profit of keeping acool head.
The Regular Camp Drunkard Sits i'm
the Rear
i'm one of the arm ch airs back OF h
bili,a ri table. He looks so humble, 80
respectful-and sOdry-that our miners
heart moves to pity, and he casks him
up.r He complies, but not with undue
haste. This treats of the era between
1864 and 1870. They stand IN a row at
the bar. The barkeeper is mixing the
''long' and the short drinks. Each
man waits, SAYS nothing, and eyes every
motion of the bartender. The silence
is impressive. Ali is ready. Each glass
is graspcd and raised, and then from
each to each, and more than all, from
| all to the drink donor, there is a nod,
that incantatory phrase is uttered,
"Well, here's luck" and the poison is
down, AS it rasps they cry, amen W
with a varied degree of meditation.
But this is a careful and prudent miner,
| and he now repairs to the store. There
| his dust is weighed, sold and the weeks
provisions ordered. His combined
partners "divvys" are put aside in Il
iump and safely stored. Now the
weight is off his mind. He returns to
the attractions of camp.
These are not numerous. There is
the Magnolia, the Belle Union, the
Court Exchange, the post and express
| offices. There are the boys" He
learns the news of the county or district.
Tie Mount Vernon is paying 81 per
| day. Long ShOrtman has gone on u
spree and hasn't done any work for the
past ten days. Jimmy Mcneil has sent
| for his wife's sister. She Is unmarried.
| Sullivan has had another row with his
wife and she has complained to the au-
tLorities. Sam Gedney is going to run
for county clerk. "Chiquita" and
"Cut- Face are in camp and expect to
STAY a week. Bob Delmame lost $1,000
at the game the other night. A San
Francisco company has bought the
| Crazy Gulch quartz lead and will put a
ten.stamP mill on it.
The SehooImaster Wa Drunk
last Friday night. Ford shot at Me-
ellis the other night, but he did not hit
him. The Wiley girls, two sisters, who
have recently moved into camp, are
4 making 2 SSuSdliOn, dHu IiSiL SihoL
| parlor at times won't hold the crowd OF
| semi-ba and unconsciously middle
aged miners and others who are calling
on them with possible matrimony in
prospective. They may pass along the
| Street in the middle Of the afternoon
and such Tagging out" was never seen
before in this camp. The curious have
! investigated the tracks made by their
| little CATERS in the red dust of the up.
per road and report them the smallest
| feet every seen in this section. Billy
| Devins Of the Blue jay claim is thought
TO have the best show with the eldest,
and Golberry of the livery stable with
| the Youngest. No. He won't let his
best horse and buggy to anybody now,
| and takes her out riding three times a
week. But they're snsppy and uncer-
| tain, and nobody can count on them for
a certainty. So runs the weeks news,
which he picks up with sundry drinks.
| He enjoys the luxury ola hotel dinner
"a dinner ne is not obliged to prepare
with bis own hands-s decidedly plain
| dinner in metropolitan estimation, but