Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-11-06

two miles distant, on rnulebacl; the vegeta-
ton and flowers entirely different from those
of the east; tho birds OF other species; the
very air seemed made of other elements. II
was all another world, and IL brought to me
continually seusation of ncwness.
my boy said Broener, one evening soon
after our arrival, ''you want 10 know about
the mines ard mining, ehl All new corners
are more or less crazy on that subject. Now,
I'll sum it up In a word, The mines are
humbug-a gigantic humbug."
"a humbugr
Practically, for three-fourths of those who
dig, yes. The cream OF II won't last over
three or four years. Thousands more are to
come Every digger who takes an ounce out
Of the soil takes it out forever. Gold don't
grow again-soon. Then there isn't half as
much dug as people imagine One lucky find
blinds everybody's eyes to the nineteen or
twenty-nine, or may be more, people who find
Just enough to scratch along on. It's the
hardest kind of work. Knocks mans con-
stitution over in short metre. No let up, sum-
mer or winter. It's digging, lifting rocks, or
standing in ice-cold water for hours. No
recreation but cards, poor whisky, or worse
You dig out dollar, and ntist spend half Of
1t for what would cost you but 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 it1 Now,
I'm lucky miner. You think this about
here is my claim, Well, IL 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 nextday we went to the spot he had
indicated, first ascending Scrub mountain, in
the rear Of our cabin, at pretty steep in
clination, and after attaining height of
about 200 feet, going down again.
Look down. said Broener, as we came to
an opening in the manzarita bushes, where
our way led along steeply jutting projection
of the mountain.
] did so. The rivers banl--in some places
rocky and steeply inclined, in others denting
the rapid current with little level beaches
was alive with working miners. Hundreds
Of cradles were rocking to and fro. The graf
| ing OF tho 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
lying In all manner OF cramped-up positions
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 INFO the
stream .aEts< Tr Tft
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 hoar. Reason: mustn't let those
chaps scent out my lead. They'd avalanche
me IL they should. I've got, you see a big
thing; but il 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
in the country Is in that dirt Hope they'll
think 50 for some time to come"
Walking down the mountain at varying
angles, we came to little shelf denseiy Gov
cred with foliage, about five hundred feet
above the river. Miners at work were
thickly clustered directly below us
softly nowr said Broener. "Stoop
here, SO they won't SEQ us, and don't talk
loud tala
STOPPING, and at times half crawling
through the chapparal, we crossed shelf,
coming directly ON the rocky mountain sids
rising an overhanging barrier before us.
Fragments of gray and white rock lay all
about as they had 5umbled down the noun
tain.
Broener sat down on fragment and whis
pered to me: .. .-
1--WE are at the mine.n