The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1884-11-06
MACKEY AND HIS CABIN.
How tho Bonanza King Isoughed It
Before Fortune Smiled on Kim.

How tho Bonanza King Roughed 1t
Before Fortunc Smiled on Him.
In tho first months of 1860 times wero
tough on the Comstock. Tho wintcr of
loo9-oO was terribly severe, rs all old
sottiers well remember. Supplies could
noI DO brought over tho mountains from
Call1ornla' and bctorc spring many on
inc Com mstock went hungry to bed about
three nights in the week. That winter
n jolly crowd made their Headquarters
IN cabin that stood on the hillside
above tho Ophir Office, near tho Cali
tornia shaft. Tho cabin was n sort of
cave. In cntoring it one went down
two steps. Tho roof was composed Of
layer of brush, stratum of dirt. md
over this u canvas cover to hold it all
In place. The cabin contained four
bunks, two on tho South and two ON
the north side. John Mackoy had the
bunk on tho north side, and Alexander
Kennedy slept in tho upper one. Pat
S. Corbett-at present United States
Marshal Corbott-and Jack O'Brier
occupied tho south hunks.
At that timo Mackoy, Kennedy ant
others were running tho old Union Tun
AS TIMES GREW ROUGH
and grub scarce, tho mum Der of lodpers
in the cabin increased. Jack McCaffory
was taken in on the understanding thai
he was to furnish wood fer tho house
hold, and Johnnie Walker in considera.
ton of his doing all tho cooking. The
newcomers brought their blankets and
slept on the floor. Virginia City was
then town of brush shantics and can.
vas tents, and it was good to find
shelter anywhere. Lumber boing $500
per l,OOO feet, palaces were not to be
expected.
AS the winter wore away provisions OF
NIL kinds became scarce, and famine
prices ruled for time carly in the
spring. For few days n square meal
down town" cost So. Those of the
boys in the cabin who started in with A
little money had either got to the end
of their string in keeping up their part
OF the expenses OF had gamblcd off their
coin.
Jack McCaffery, who was to furnish
wood, began to make night raids on
the wood piles of the neighbors in
order to keep up his part of tho cabin
supplies, and, the weather being cold.
he was sometimes prowling about hall
tho night, though
THE oPIIIR WOOD PILE
was his chief dependence. One stormy
night Jack was gone so long that his
cabin mates grew uneasy about him.
Johnny Walker, the cook, said Jack
had whispered in his ear as he left
that he was going to tho Ophir wood,
pile. A search party was sent out, and
to their inquiring g whispers they finally
got faint reply. Following up the
sound they presently came upon poo,
Jack. Blinded by tho driving snow,
nc and big stick from the Ophir had
tumblcd together into n prospect shaft.
standing on top of it, Jacks extended
hand still failed to reach tho top OF
the shaft by about two feet. Ho was
hauled out, bruised and nearly frozen.
Next morning there was no wood with
which to cook breakfast, but as there
was not much TO cook, board or two
from the hunks furnished sufficient
fuel.
Finally, hunger got into the cabin,
and not n man except Mackey had o
cent OF money. An attempt to starve
the moro shiftloss into
HOolLlNG tOlt GRUB
had proved failure; they could do
nothing, and, lying back on their
blankets. gave up. like somo of those
OF whom We read among tho explorers
in arctic regions. The cook had an
easy time of it, and. rs Sancho Panza
says, the bellies of all began to think
their throats were cut. BY this time
some provisions were beginning to bo
packed in, but prices were fearfully
high. Mackcy had just $50 lcft-it was
all the money he had in the world.
'Here, Pat" said he to Corbett, hand
ing him 20 and 10 in gold, go
out and sec if you can find sack Of
-four"
A man had packed in from Placer
vile that day. and Pat found him near
whore tho Bank of California now
stands. 1t was all plaza then-all open
country and sagebush along tho present
limo of c street. The packer had just
one iifty-pound sack of flour left Tho
price was $'6. Pat handed the Placer
william tho .,old, got back 81 in silver,
and, shouldoring his flour climbed tho
hill to tho cabin. Mackoy took tho 81,
and giving it to the cook, sont him in
search of bacon, tea, and sugar. When
the hapjacks began to brown, and the
SAVIOR of the bacon porvadcd tho cabin,
tho spirits Of both tho regular inmates
and transient boarders went up to the
fair weather notch, and it soomed that
there was nothing moro in tho world
to be desired. Virginta city Enter