National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-09-06


PrIvations to which the Now Rich
Were Subjected ON the Comstock in
Is50-'GO - Rough on the Bonanza
Men.
Viginid Cty Enterprise.
In the first months of 1860 times were
tough. on the Comstock. The winter of
1s5D'GO was terribly severe. as all old set
tiers will remember. Supplies could not
be brought over the mountains from Cali
fornia, and before spring many of tho
Comstock went hungry to bed about three
nights in tho week. That winter a Jolly
crowd made their headquarters in cabin
that stood on the hill above the Ophir
office, near the California shaft. hecabin
was q sort of cave. In entering IL ono
went down two steps. The roof was com.
posed Of layer Of brush, n stratum OF
dirt. and over this canvas cover TO hold
it all in place. The cabin contained four
hunks two on tho south and two on the
north side. John Mackay had tho lower
bunk on the north side, and Alexander
Kennedy slept in tho upper one. Patrick
8. Corbett-at present United States Mar
shal Corbett--and Jack O'Brien occupied
the south hunks. ..:t
At that time Mackay, Kennedy, and
others were running the old Union thn-
mel, and were working every day. As
times grew rough and grub scarce the
number Of dodgers increased. Jack Nc
Gallery was taken in on the understand
ing that he was to furnish wood for the
household, and Johnnie Walker in con-
Nf HE lnt,,,
The new corners brought their blankets
and slept on the floor. Virginia City was
then town of brush shanties and canvas
fonts, and 1t was good to find shelter
anywhere. Lumber being 5000 per 1000
feet, palaces were not to be expected.
As the winter wore away provisions of
all kinds became scarce, and famine
prices ruled for q time early in tho
spring. For a few days q square meal
down town" cost So. Those Of the boys
in the cabin who started in with little
money had either got to the ond Of their
string in keeping up their part of tho
expenses or had gambled Off their coin.
Jack McCafTery, who was to furnish
wood, began to make night raids on the
woodpiles of the neighbors In order to
keep up his part of tho cabin supplies,
and, the weather being cold, he was some
uhll IuB nlRuL,
though tho Ophir woodpile was his chief
dependence. One stormy night Jack was
gone so long that his cabin mates grew
uneasy about him. Johnnie Walker, tho
cook, said Jack had whispered in his car
as he left that he was going TO the Ophir
woodpile. A search party was sent out,
and to their inquiring whispers they
finally got faint reply. Following up
the sound they presently came upon poor
Jack. Blinded by the driving snow, he
and o big stick from tho Ophir had tum-
bled together into prospect shaft. With
the stick ofwood on end and standing 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 and bruised
and nearly frozen. Next morning there
was no wood with which to cook break
fast, but as there was not much to cook, a
board or two from tho hunks furnished
sufficient fuel.
Finally hunger got into the cabin, and
not q man except Mackay had q cent of
money. An attempt to starve the moro
shiftless into "rustling for grub" had
provefa 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 Arctic regions.
The cook had an easy time of It. By this
time some provisions were beginning to
be packed in, but prices were fearfully
high. Mackay had just thirty dollars
left-it was all the money he had in the
world. Here, Pat" said he to Corbett,
handing him twenty and ten in gold,
go and see II you can get a sack Of -four"
A man had packed in from Placerville
that day, and Pat found him near whore
the Bank of California now stands. 1t
was all plaza then-all open country and
sage brush along the present line Of G
street. The price was S26. Pat handed
the Placervillian the gold, got back "a In
silver, and, shouldering his flour, climbed
tho hill to the cabin. Mackay took the
81, and. giving it to tho cook, sent him in
search Of bacon, tea, and sugar. When
the aapjacks began to brown, and the
flavor of the bacon pervaded tho cabin,
the spirits of both the regular inmates
and transient boarders went up to the
fair weather NOTCH and it seemed that
there was nothing moro in the world to
be desired.