The Clifton clarion., 1888-06-06
surERsrIr1oxs OF MINERS.
A Veteran Tells How He Was
 Saved by PremOnitiOns.

q do not know of more super stitious class of men in the world than miners. Their strange fan cies and beliefs are at least called superstition, but by miners whose lives have often been saved by timely premonitions of impending danger, they are as sacred as a religion. l could give facts to substantiate my assertions"
 The speaker was veteran min ing man who has spent the greater part of his life among the miners of California and Arizona. At the request of an Alta reporter, who had become interested in the sub ject, the miner continued, and re- lated some thrilling tales of his own personal experiences. --s-2
 "No one," he said, ''treated the peculiar beliefs of the miner with more derision than myself before l became one of them. A few years experience, however, taught me, the skeptic, to hold these so- called superstitions very sacred. Would you like to hear how my life was first saved through feel ing of danger which I fortunately heeded2 Very we'll. You must know that in 1879, after the mines in the vicinity of Bodie had been pronounced a failure, there was a great rush for the gold and silver producing districts of Arizona. l lost no time in beginning pros pecting tour in the new, and what appeared to be then, inexhaustible territory. I was fortunate enough to soon strike rich lead and, with the assistance of an intelli- gent young man whom l had taken into partnership, began operations. We dug into the bank of gully, said to be wonder fully rich spot The work pro- gressed favorably, and in a week our excavations extended in some 15 feet from the mouth. Not knowing that our mine would be permanent, little attention was paid to putting in the proper tim bers for safety. Well, I was work ing steadily ahead with pick and shovel one afternoon after my partner had departed to prepare supper at our cabin, when I ex- perienced a most singular feeling My whole body seemed to turn as cold as ice, and my hands to trem- ble so violently that I could not wield the pick. After trembling for a few seconds, a voice of thun- der seemed to sound in my ears: Run for your life; the mine is cavingr l obeyed this strange and unaccountable warning or premonition, and never ran faster in my life as I started for the mouth of our little mine. An in- stant after I reached the open air the roof caved in and the mine was completely filled with the falling rocks and dirt. Was this premonition, superstition or imag- ination? 1 firmly believe that the timely warning I received was the voice of the spirit that watches over the miners and saves thou sands from violent deaths. Laugh, if you will; but I can account for it in no other way. In the case 1 have cited, an instant's delay or hesitation would have caused my life to come to terrible end. You may be sure that after that expert ence I never failed to take advant- age of these strange warnings; and I am firmly convinced that they have saved my life on at least half a dozen occasions.
 "A peculiar circumstance of the case I have told you, IS that on the night previous to the caving in of the mine my partner dreamed that it was going to cave in. He did not tell me of the dream for fear that I would have nothing more to do with the mine. After little more experience he also also came to believe in these warnings as firmly as do.
 Il know of vastly rich mine in the San Gabriel mountains, Los Angles county, that has caused the death of every man who tried to carry ore away from it You may call this superstition also, but there are dozen miners besides myself who know of the millions that could be taken from thIs mine and yet are afraid to go near it. Some half dozen men had been killed by caves. etc. ,when my part ner and I arrived after run of six