Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-07-05
EARLY DAYS on THE C0MsTOoK.
How Jshn W. Maekav and Ills Cabin Mates
Rene he'd IL In 1s0O.
Virginia tAevI Enterprise.I ]

Virginia (AevI Enterprise.I
In the first months OF 1860 times were
tough on the Ccmstock. The winter OF
1S59J6o was terribly severe, IS all old set
tiers well remember. Supplies could not
be brought over the mountains from Cali
fornia. and before spring many on the
Comstock went hungry TO bed about three
nights in the week. Tint winter a Jolly
crowd made their headquarters in a
cabin that stood on the hillside above the
0phir office, ncxt the California shaft. The
canin was a sort Of cave. In entering II
one went down two steps. The roof wss
composed OF Layer Of brush. q stratum OF
dirt. and over this canvas cover to hold
II ali in place. The cabin contained four
hunks--two on the south and two on the
north side. John Macksy had the lower
bunk on the north side and Alexander
Kennedy slept in the upper ose. Pat ).
Corbett-at present United States Marshal
Corbett-and Jack o Brlen occupied the
south hunks.
At that time Rackay, Kennedy, and
others. were running the old Union tun-
mel. and were working every day. As
tunes grew rough aud grub scarce the num-
Der Of dodgers in the cabin increased. Jack
McC0fIery was taken in on the understand
ing that he was 10 furnish wood for the
household, and johnnie Walker in con-
sideration Of bis doing all the cooking.
TIE newcomers brought their blankets and
slept on the door. Virginia City was then
q town Of brush shsnties aud canvas tents,
and il was good to find shelter anywhere.
Lumber being $500 per 1000 feet, palaces
were not to be expected.
AS the winter wore away provisions OF
all kinds become scarce, and famine prices
ruled for time early in ,he spring. Fora
few days square meal down town. cost
S2. Those OF the boys In the cabin who
started is with q little money had either
got to the end Of their string in keeping
up their part Of the expenses or had gam
bIed Oh their coin.
Jack hcCgfery, who was TO furnish
wood, began TO make night raids on the
vood-plles OF the neighbOrs in order 10
keep up his part Of the cabin supplies, and,
the weather being cold. he was sometimes
pTOwling about half the night. though the
Ophir wood-plle was his chief dependence.
One stormy night Jack WAS gone SO long
that his Cahin.mstCs grew uneasy about him.
johnny Walker, the cook, said Jack had
whispered in his ear a. he left that he
was going 10 the Ophr vood-pile. A
search-party was sent out, and TO their
nQuiriug whistles they finally got
faint reply. Following up the sound.
they presently came upon poor Jack.
Blinded by the driving snow, he
and big stick Of wood from she Ophir had
tumbled together into a prospect shaft.
With the stick Of wood on end and stand
ing on top Of it. Jacks extended hand.
still failed TO reach the top Of the shaft by
about two feet. He WAS hauled out, cut.
bruised, ana nearly frozen. Next morn
ing there was no wood with which TO cook
breakfast. hut a. tberc was not much 10
cook a board or two from the hunks fur
nished sufficient fuel.
Finally hunger got into the cabin, and
not a man except Hscksy had cent OF
money. An attempt to starve the more
shiftless into "ru,t'ng for grub" had
proved failure; they could do nothing,
and lying back on their blankets gave up,
like some Of those Of whom we read among
the explorers in the Arctic regions. The
cook had an easy time Of it. aud. as Sancho
PanZa says, the bellies OF all began 10 think
their thrOsts were cut. BY this time some
provision. were beginning to be packed
in. hut prices were fesrfully high. hsckay
had just S3O lcft-it was all the money he
had in the world. Here, Pat" said he 10
Corbett, handing hin twenty and ten
in gold, ago out and see II you can find
sack Of -four"
A man had packed in from Placerville
that day, aud Pat found him near where
the Bank Of California now stands. 1t was
all plaza then-sll open country sud sage
brush along the present line OF & street.
The packer had Just one fity-pound sack
OF -four left. The price was s26. Pat
handed the Plncervillan the gold, got back
e. in silver, and, shOulderiug his -four,
climbed the hill to the cabin. hackav
took the "a, and handing it TO the cook,
sent him in search OF bacon, tea, and sugar.
When the fapjacks began to brown and
the SAVIOR Of the bacon peryaded the cabin
the spirits Of both regular inmates and
transient bOsrder. went up to the fair
weather notch, and it seemed that there
was nothing more in the world to be de-
sired.