Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-09-20
GOLD DlGGER'S LUCK.
THE rRA9fC PHAsk OF MfSfNS IN
CALIFORNIA.

Creyiciug, surface Mining, Pot-Hoiss and
Ta,iings - Communal Clothing - Acct
dental Fortunes-w WEAKNESS of the Flesh
and spirit-AveraRs Wages Made.
Correspondence to the GLopK-REruBLIc.
New York, Sept I'll went to Can.
fornia in 1850, and served there as gold
digger for eight or nine years.
In SO the cream of the diygings had been
skinned off. The 40 ers had found the
richest "crevices," "pot-holes' and rifles"
cleaned them out ana spent the monsy, A
few went back east " ith small fortunes, but
the ma jority got no farther than tho nearest
camp containing a saloon aud fandango
house, in which thaT deposited their dust.
Others reached san Francisco with the
ntent of taking a steamer home but con-
cludel to remain awhile longer in the
country after San Francisco had scooped in
their piles" These sadly returned to the
mines, and years afterward boasted of what
they ha done to "build up the state"
My first mining experience was in Grew
icing This meant scrsping gold bearing
dirt from the cracks in the rocky banks of
the Tuolumnc. But before the dirt could
be scraped out 1t had to he reache |, aud to
reach it great deal of pounding with
sledge hammers and pry ing with crowbars
was necessary. besides lying in cramped.up
positions for hours drawing up small guam
titles OF dirt with spoon or bit Of hoop
iron bent at one end. The sun was hot, the
rocks were hotter, our bread was OF our
own baking, aud consequently very poor
bread. Our meat was bacon. Our stomachs,
after a few days of this diet, were eH iremely
bilious. Our house was a mere shelter of
such brush as we could collect Our Land,
or rather bare rock, sloped toward the river
So steeply that we could with difficulty keep
our footing, and were obliged to ''chock"
ourselves in while we slept, or tried TO
sleep, at night with pegs at our feet, II
aught of our few worldly pos sessions dropped
accident lily, and were in any degree roll
atle, ten to one they rolled into the river
ever twenty-foot precipice.
In this plight heavy rain caught us one
night. We could not get away IN the dark,
for the banks we're difficult of passage in the
daytime. We kindlej a fire, and heavier
outpour than ever Immediately put it out
Durin the remainder of that long night we
sat, stood, and took it as it came. ! vas
not only soaked in the morning, but dyed,
for the blessed rain took most of the color
ing out of blue cap | wore, and rolled it
in strcaks over my face, fact of which l
was not aware until reaching Thompsop's
store mex morning, where the crowd at the
door made remarks humorous and sarcastic
at the change the elements hal wrought in
my countenance. Ny share Of that weeks
work on the rocks amounted to 81. 50.
l have been through the whole school of
''surface mining l worked the river bed,
was drowned out by the usual fall freshet,
twomont tbs earlier than it was expected, and,
with the rest Of our company, helped bank
rupt the storekeeper who charged us with
our summers provisions. l have worked
'pot-holes' worn in the solid granite
by stones revolving for ages in water
whirl-'pot- holes" as smooth and round as
= stovepipe ani as long as my arm, which
yielded nothing, because the gravel in them
was arecentdeposit, and the gold and gravel
once in them had been taken out years be-
fore by some early bird of a "49 er" 1
have worked over "talings'' with rocker,
and made nv 81 and $50 per day. have
worked river bank claims, spent days in
shovellng off the barren top dirt, got down
to the lelge where it ought to have paid,
and found it not
have struck" gold bearing quartz lodges
and found all the gold at the ton, and the
lead 'pinching OUT at the depth of three
feet. have seen fortunes in ancient dead
river channels under Table noun ain, but
never reGlizei thsm | have often been
rich in Imagination, without a whole suit
Nf,.lF. h.9 9
have lived in small camps with crowd of
my own ilk, such as at Hawkin5' Bar, In
1860, which boasted twelve residents and
one decent suit of store clothes. owned in
sections and held as sort Of communal
wardrobe. " hen one of Us wished To go
forth into the world of a more refined and
eSthetic civilization where postottice
could be found, where people slept in sheets
and lived in houses with "hard finish on
the walls, he collected this camp suit from
the various owners getting the store boots
from A, the pantaloons from B, the coat
from c, and So dressed up as he made the
tour OF the hamlet.
IT was an over rated country Perhsps
one in twenty went back with fortune,
and, as fortunes are estimated nowadays, it
was a small one he took back Perhaps
one miner out Of ten made decent wages;
that is, from 81 to IS per day. Nine out of
ten grubbsd along from year to year max
ing bare subsistence, and r.sking their
time, their strength and what little money
they had in hazardous and expensive
mining enterprises, which generally left
them poorer at the end than at the begin
ming.
Where mined a "$3 claim was thought
good piece of property That meant a
claim pay ing the worker 81 per day after
expenses had been deducted. We worked
ten and sometimes twelve hours per dav,
summer and winter. We paid 50 per day
for working stream of water. We lost an
average Of two and half months out of
the year through the water supply giving
out We had to spend days on days in cut
ting tail races" through rock, repairing
our reservoirs or other work incidental TO
mining, which yielded no direct returns
We went tagged out to our cabins in the
evening and split wood, carried water, kin
died "A fire, baked bread and cooked our
evening meal. Cooking, lerspiring and at
tending to a red hot stove on red hot day,
after ten hours Of dirt shovelling and rock
pitching, is the last straw on the human
csmeIs hack. Supper over we mig hit trudge
couple # miles to the Bar grocery, meet
the other unfortunates, da bible over greasy