The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-08-27
SQUAREMEALSWANTED
MlLLloNAIREs WHO WE'RE HUNGRY.
The Privations to Which the Now Rich
Were Subjected on the Comstock
in 1859. .60-Rough on the
Bonanza Men.


Virginia City Enterprisel
In the first months of 1860 times were
| tough en- the Comstock. The winter Of
1S59.6O was terribly severe, as all old set
tiers will remember. Supplies could not
be brought over the mountains from Cali.
Comstock went hungry to bed about three
nights in the week. That winter jolly
crowd made their headquarters in ca bin
that stood on the hill above the Ophir Of.
flee, near the California shaft The cabin
was sort of cave. In entering 1t one
went down two steps. The roof was com.
posed Of layer of brush, a stratum of
dirt. and over this a canvas cover to hold
it all in place. The cabin contained four
hunks, two on the south and two on the
north side. John Mackay had the lower
bunk on the north side, and Alexander
Kennedy slept in the upper one. Patrick
S. Corbett-at present United States Mar
shal Corbett-and Jack O'Brien occupied
the south hunks.
At that time Mackay, Kennedy and
others were running the old Union tunnel,
and were working every day. AS times
grew rough and grub scarce the number of
dodgers increased. Jack McCalfery was
taken in on the understanding that he was
to furnish wood for the household, and
Johnnie Walker in consideration OF his
doing all the cooking. The newcomers
brought their blankets and slept OH the
floor. Virginia City was then town of
brush shanties and canvas tents, and it
was good to find shelter anywhere. Lum-
Der being $500 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 time early in the spring For
q few days a square meal "down town"
cost -. Those Of the boys in the cabin
who started in with little money had
either got to the end OF their string in
keeping up their part of the expenses or
had gambled off their coin.
Jack McCalfery, who was to furnish
wood, began to make night raids on the
woodpiles of the neighbors in order to keep
up his part of the cabin supplies, and, the
weather being cold, he was sometimes
prowling about half the night, though the
Ophir woodpile was his chief dependence.
One stormy night Jack was gone so long
that his cabin mates grew uneasy about
him. Johnnie Walker, the cook, said Jack
had whispered in his ear as he left that he
was going to the 0phir woodple. 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 big stick from the
0phir had tumbled tog gsther into a pros.
pect shaft. With the stick of wood on end
and standing on top OF it, Jacks extended
hand still failed 10 reach the top OF the
shaft by about two feet. He was hauled
put, cut and bruised and nearly frozen.
Next morning there was no wood with
which to cook breakfast, but as there was
not much to cook, a board or two from the
hunks furnished sufficient fuel.
Finally hunger got into the cabin, and
not man, except Mackay, had cent
Of money. An attempt TO starve the
more shiftless into 'rustling for grub"
had proved a failure; they could do
nothing, and, lying back on their blank
sts, gave up, like some Of those Of whom
we read among the explorers in Arctic re-
gions. The cook had an easy time Of II.
By this time some provisions were be-
ginning TO be packed in, but prices were
fearfuly high. Mackay had just thirty
dollars lie 1T was all the money he had
in the world. "Here, Pat" said he to
Corbet , handing him a twenty and
ten in gold, Ego and see IL you can get
sack of hOurW
A man had packed in from Placerville
that day, and Pat found him near where
the Bank Of California now stands. II
was all plaza then-all open country
and sage brush along the present line Of
c street. The price was twenty.six dol.
lars. Pat handed the Placervillian
the gold, got back four dollars in silver,
and, shouldering his -four, climbed the
hill the cabin. Mackay took the four
dollars, and giving il TO the cook, sent
him in search Of bacon, tea and sugar.
When The flapjacks began TO brown, aud
the SAVIOR Of the lacon pervaded the cabin
tn spirits Of botl the regular inmates
and transient borders went up to the fair.
W ather notch, and it seemed that there
was nothing more in the world to be de.
sired.