Wichita eagle., 1888-01-27
MINERS ODD BELIEFS.
SOME OF THE STRANGE STORIES
TOLD IN THE CAMPS.

A Life Saved by a PreSentiment-DiSap
pearance.of Bowlder-Fortune Tellers'
Advice Sought by Owners of Claims
Naming Mines.
Miners are superstitious Men who labor
underground are always so, and especially
those who court tickle fortune, hunting for
gold and silver veins in the mountains Often
you will hear miners say that rocks are more
apt to fall at midnight than at any other
time
A friend of mine was once working in the
Bull Domingo mine, and saved his life
through preSentiment or ssperstitious feel
ing. He was working in the night shift and
late in the afternoon was awakened from his
slumber and notified by the foreman to get
ready for work. In telling me the story
afterward he said that something seemed to
be warning him not to work that night
But he threw off the feeling, ate his supper,
put on his miners suit and started toward
the shaft house. He had gone about half the
distance, when the same superstitious feeling
possessed him, and, stopping moment he
thought the matter over and, returning to
the boarding house near by, hired man in
his place
There was an accident that night and the
man who had taken his place was killed.
The Shift was sinking the main shaft deeper.
preparatory to running lower levels The
water was troublesome and the cage had
been lowered with barrel, which.was filled
with water. When the cage began to ascend
three of the men stepped out from under it.
but the fourth stood in the center of the
shaft leaning on his shovel When up about
100 feet a piece of machinery broke and
down came the cage, crushing the poor fell
low to death. The young man who refused
to work that night, in telling ME of the Incl
dent afterward, said: Something seemed to
be almost pulling me back that night and
saying, Don't go down the shaft. don't go
down the shaft and | didn't GO l don't
know how to account for it and never will,
but it saved my life"
A STRANGE STORY.
One evening, while sitting around the stove
in one of the hotels in the camp, man
named Fletcher, hailing from Ohio, told a
strange, weird story. He was quiet kind
OF fellow, and not given up TO sprinying
wild stories He and his partner, SO his story
ran, had been working a claim above the
They were prospecting for a gray copper
vein. shaft had been sunk about forty feet
and then drill was started On the vein.
This drift was within twenty feet f,om, the
shaft. and the last day they had worked the
claim oowlder about two feet in diameter
was blown out OF the vein. 1T was about
time to quit" said Mr.. Fletcher. az and we
concluded TO windlass out what loose work
there was and popshoot the bowlder the next
morning. Before leaving we placed our
mining tools and bucket in a corner of the
shaft and then went TO our cabin. It was
cold night and considerable snow fell The
next morning about o'ciock We returned to
the shaft to resume our work for the day.
lowered my partner down and was preparing
10 descend myself, when heard him call out.
Fletcher, hoist away | asked him what
was the matter. but he would give me no
definite answer, and in rather a husky voice
repeated his request that haul him out,
which did. After stepping on the platform,
be said. 'Gou know that oowlders sYes.I
replied, but what of itr 1t is gone, he said.
Gomez Yes, gone
II refused 10 believe him. although 7 oh
served that his face was little pale and he
seemed quite nervous. / had him lower me
down the shaft, and, sure enough. that large
bowlGer two feet in diameter. was zone. |
The tools had not been disturbed, and no one |
else could have possibly gone down that shaft |
since We left it the night before The snow
had fallen, and there was not the leas, sign of |
q track leading TO or from the shaft"
Did the mine ever pan CUT anything after. |
wardf asked one of the interested group al /
listeners.
Pan out No, have teen unable to pet
my partner down in that shat. since And /
one thing / do know-the bowlder We had
left that night was gone the next morning,
hnd neither III Us ever knew what became
Of IL"
TIE FORTUNE IELLER
Some nen Use fortune tellers in searching
Tor mines and developing them The divin-
ng rcd has b-~n used OF many = nouu,sin
Ide, and lis Indications followed recently
listed We'll known fortune ticker IN Dan.
'er for the purpose az learning something
!efinite 81 TO stories circulated that SOM, |
mining operators seek this class IN have tber, |
orsteD or advise them how 10 seek for the
arex,inT.S ass,alx