Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-02-08
NOVEL GOLD MINING.
A NEW Workers. METHOD OF saw
ING THE AURlFERCUS WASTE.

How "Ferocious Fred" Got Even with .
Mining Company Crawling into .
FIume at Dead Of Night--A Poetic
Retribu.ion.
Among recent arrivals from the west
was that of a man whose name does not
appear on any of the big hotel registers,
but who is nevertheless pretty well known
about town. He is part owner Of placer
claim in Dakota, and is interested in sew
eral other mining ventures, notably one
whose field of operations is not far re-
moved from that of the great Homestake
Mining company. This gentleman, whose
surname is suppressed here at his earnest
solicitation, has been nicknamed Zero
cious Fred by his associates principally
because he wears mustaches of a kind
that would have brought tears of envy to
the eyes Of the guardsmen of Louis XIV,
woEBEGoNE APPEARANCE.
Fred arrived in the city and was met at
the Forty second street depot by a party
Of friends. who were very much surprised
at finding him with one arm in a sling,
with strip of court plaster extending
across his forehead just above his eye
brows and presenting woebegone APP
pearance generally. Fred explained that
his injuries were received during an alter
cation he bad had with pack mule in his
mining camp, and his statement was ac-
cepted as Il matter of course. Most of his
friends had read humorous paragraphs in
reference to the foolhardiness of toying
with the pedal extremities of mules, and
Fred's condition did not excite so much
sympathy rs it would have done had his
ipinriaS hepn cnctninad N al mr.
other manner Last night, however, it
leaked out that Fred had deceived his
friends, While In a convivial mood he
admitted the true origin of his dis1igura,
ton, and this is the story Of his latest ad.
venture:
Once n year for the past four years Fred
has paid n flying visit to the mining
regions OF Colorado and Dakota osten
sibly to look after mining property, but
in reality to do a little mining of very
peculiar sort, Fred. in common with
many other small placer owners in that
neighborhood, has long cherished feeling
Of resentment against the Homestake
Mining company. 1t is alleged that the
latter has gobhled mp all the water rights
in the vicinity of the mines. and refuses
to rent them TO such other operators as
have good paying clairus, hoping thereby
to force them to sell for n nominal sum-
AT DEAD OF NIGHT,
II WINS while casting about for a way in
which to "get even that Fred hit upon
this plan, The Homestake fiume. a COW
cred wooden gutter about two miles in
length. that carries off the water passed
through the ore crushers, terminates on
the cds,c of a bluff fifty feet high. down
the sides Of which the water gently
trickles when the crushers are in opera.
ton. At ~ certain hour every night the
flood gates above are opened and for a
short time thereafter the water rushes
ont Of the finme in a perfect torrent.
Once year. for the pas four years, Fred
has cIawled into this fiume at dead Of
night with ''gunny'' bag and q tallow
candle and ''cleaned it mp on his own &C.
count. The process, as described by him,
consists In scraping out OF the cracks in
the flooring of the fiume the gold anal gam
that escapes the sleeves at the crnshers and
settles there. The plan worked success.
fully the first three trials, each time net
ting him something like 1850 for his
nights work.
Quite recently he made his accustomed
descent on the wooden gutter Unknown
to him, however. arrangements had been
made to food the fume on the very night
he bad selected for his annual visit. Fred
scraped up n considerable quantity of gold
amalgam and was crawling backward out
of the flume dragging his bag after him,
when suddenly he heard a roaring noise
and 9 rush Of wind extinguished his
candle. A moment later great body OF
water came down on him with irresistible
force. Fred and his bag of nmalgnm were
swept ont Of the flume. over the bluff and
down into the yocky bed Of a creek fifty
feet below. His arm was broken in the
fall, and his head came in contact with q
rock so forcibly as to render him for :
time ohlivious al his surroundings.
When he regained consciousness Fred
found that the bag containing the ANAL
gam had been split open in the fall and
the proceeds Of his "honest" labor washed
of in the food. Disguised with his ex-
perience, he dragged himself to the nearest
mining camp, where he explained that he
had fallen OF . bluff while prospecting
and managed TO get his wounds dressed.
Then he started back to New York, hav-
ing made up bis mind in the meantime
that the resources Of the Homestake were
too great for him to cope with.-N~w
York Star.
As yet both the earrings and ear knobs in
cline TO lie rather small in size. Often they
are small stone set in a simple franevork
OF gold; again they are q small cluster of fine
gems. and ye; sgain they are little gold
knot OF gold flower, fly or other diminutiye
object,
There is no question whatever about tho
popularity OF the brooch in New York CITY.
BY the term brooch is meant not only tho
round and oblong pins to which the mama