Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-04-18
CHAPTER VII.
HE BANK OF CALIFORNIA


In the middle of September. 1870, found
myself located with Broener at his cabin on
the StaniSlaus river where the lower and
rounded foothills commence merging into the
more abrupt, craggy and higher formations
of the vast Sierra range. II WAS for me a
great change Mountains towering all about
no roads, no wheeled vehicles in Use only
trails or bride paths. travcrSed by horsemen,
our provisions brought from the nearest store,
.,u miles distant, on mulehsCk the yegeta-
ton and flowers entirely different from those
Of the east the birds of other species; the
very air seemed made Of other elements. 1t
was all another world, and it brought TO me
continually sensation of newneSs.
MY boy" said Broener, one evening soon
after our arrival, ''vou want to know about
the mines and mining, eh' All new corners
are more or less crazy on that subject. Now,
III sum it up in word The mines are q
humbug-a gigantic humbug."
A humbug,"
"PractiCalv for threI~fourthS of those who
dig, YES. The cream of 1t won't last over
tnrte or four wears. Thousands more are to
come Every digger who takes an ounce out
of the soil takes it out forever. Gold don't
grow again->,.on. Then there isn't half As
much dug as people imagine. One lucky find
blinds everybndy's eyes To the nineteen or
twenty nine or may I've more, people who find
just enough 10 scratch along on. It's the
hardest kind Of work. Knocks a mans con-
StitutiOn over in short metre. No let up sum
mer or winter. Its digging, lifting rocks, or
standing III ice-cOld water for hours. No
recreation but cards, poor whisky. or worse
You dig out dollar. and must spend half Of
il for what would cost You hut three cents in
the states. The men who are really to make
the money are the merchants and land owners
TheSe idiots all about here are now really
digging for them. You wonder to hear me
say this. Not a bright picture, is it, Now.
I'm a lucky miner. You think this about
here 5 my claim. Well. it isn't This dirt
pile is blind Ny real claim is half mile
from this spot. I'll show it to You tomorrow
and reveal you some mysteries.
The next day we went TO the spot he had
indicated. first ascending Scrub mountain, in
the rear of our cabin, at a pretty steep in
clination. and after attaining a height Of
about l.oDo feet going down again.
Look down" said Broener, as we came to
an opening in the manzanita bushes, where
our way led along steeply jutting election
of the mountain.
| did so. The rivers hank-in some places
rocky and Steeply inclined. in others denting
the rapid current with little level Reaches
was alive with working miners. Hundreds
of cradles were rocking to and fro The graf
ing of the pebbles on the iron bottoms of their
top selves sounded like the crashing roar Of
some great factory. Men were toiling to and
fro with dirt-laden buckets Others were
,f
on the bare. steeply shelving rocks, already
hot from the glare of the morning sun. draw
ing from deep Crevices with long spoons or
pieces of iron hoop bent at the end, bits Of
dirt and placing them in pans at their side
At other points men were standing waist
deep in the river, occupied in laying semi
circular walls OF stone projecting into the
stream
II take this path, said BrOener, Ito keep
out of the way Of those fellows. It's hard
one, but it pays. Could reach my claim in
ten minutes by the river. This route takes
near an hour. Reason: | mustn't let those
chaps scent out my lead THEY'D avalanche
NE if they should I've got, you see, a big
thing; but if they got wind of it, there's no
law could protect me, They're all in EgyP
tian darkness now They think all the gold
III the country Is III tnat dirt nope lney Ii
think 80 for some time to come.
Walking down the mountain at varying
angles. we came TO little shelf densely GOV
cred with foliage, about five hundred feet
above the river. Miners at work were
thickly clustered directly below us.
/ Softly now" said Broener. ''Stoop
here, 50 they won't see Us, and don't talk
loud
/ STOPPING. and at times half crawling
through the chapparal, We crossed shelf,
coming directly on the rocky mountain side
rising an overhanging barrier before us.
Fragments of gray and white rock lay all
about as they had tumbled down the noun
tain.
Broener sat down on fragment and whis-
pered 10 me:
/ I'VE are al the mine"
a see nothing here like a mine" said I.
"Of course not" he replied, Il don't mean
hat anybodv shall But thCse fellows down
there would give their heads if they knew
what was up here. What do you think of
thatC and he handed me o bit of white rock,
the outside thicklv crusted with gold, brighter
far than the dust had seen taken from the
river and its banks That's part of the
mine. That's quartz. They haven't got Oh
the trail of quartz yet in this land When
they do therell be bigger whoOp up than
ever"
You see" continued Broener, Il hap
nanad to get whatever education has beer