Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-04-03
CHAPTER VII.
THE BANK OF CALIEnRNIA

In the middle Of September, 1850, I found
myself located with Broener at his cabin on
the Stanislaus river, where the lower and |
rounded foothills commence merging into the 1
more abrupt, craggy and higher formations
of the vast Sierra range. It was for me o
great change. Mountains towering all about, !
no roads, no wheeled vehicles in use, only
trails or birdie paths, traversed by holsemen,
our provisions BROUGHT from the nearest store.
two miles distant, on muleback; the vcgcts.
ton and flowers entirely different from those
of the east; the birds Of other species; the
very air seemed made of other elements. It
was all another world, and it brought to me
continually a sensation Of newness
"My boy, !" said Broener, one evening soon
after our arrival, "you want to know about
the mines and mining, ell? All new Corners
are more or less crazy on that subject. Now,
I'll sum it up in a word. The mines are a
humbug-a gigantic humbug."
"a h%umbug!"
practically, for three-fourths of those who
dig, yes. The cream of it 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 a%gain-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 Oh. It's the
hardest kind of work. Knocks q mans con-
s~titution over in short metre. No let up, sum-
mer o.. winter. It's digging, lifting rocks, or
standing in ice-cold water for hours. No
recreation but cards, poor Nwhisky, or worse.
You dig out a dollar, and must spend half of
it 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 it, Now,
I'm a lucky miner. You think this about
here is' my claim: Well, it isn't. This dirt
pile is a blind. Ny real claim is half a 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 1000 feet, going down again.
"Look down." said Breener, as we came to
an opening in the m~anzanita bushes, where
our way led along a steeply jutting projection
Of the mountain.
Ibid so. The rivers bank-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 the pebbles on the iron bottoms of their
top selves sounded like the crashing roar Of
some great factory. Men were toiling oand
fro with dirtrladen 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 into the
stream.
II take this path" said Broener, Ito keep
out of the way Of those fellows. It's a hard
one, but it pays. Could reach my claim in
ten minutes by the river. This route takes
near an hour. Reason: I mustn't lot 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 & it, there's no
tian darkness now. They think all the gold
in the country is in that dirt. Hope they'll
think so for some time to come"
Walking down the mountain at varying
angles, we came to q little shelf depsely GOV.
cred with foliage, about five hundred feet
above the. river. Miners at work were
thickly clustered directly below us.
"Softly now" said Broener. "Stool
here, SO they won't see us, and don't tall
loud" wa
STOPPING, and at times half crawling
through the chapparal, we crossed a shelf
coming directly on tho rocky mountain sid
rising an overhanging barrier before us
Fragments Of gray and white rock lay al
about as they had tumbled down the noun
tain.
Broener sat down on a fragment and whis
pered to me:
1--WE are at the mine"
II see nothing here Hike a mine, y said 1.
"Of course not, !" he replied, 81 don't meal
that anybody shall. But those fellows dow
there would give their heads If they kne,
what was up here. What do you think q
thatq" and he handed me a bit Of white rock
the outside thickly crusted with gold, brighte
far than the dust ! had seen taken from th
. river and It's hanks. ''Thats a part Of th
! mina. That's auaft& ThAv hsvsn't eot q
-Hr