Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-03-05
SILVER FOUNTAIN LETTER.
GRAHAM, Feb. 26. 1899.

silver FOUNTAIN LETTER.
GRAHAM, Feb. 26, 1889.
Ed. WoRLD:-As l look over your
columns of late l see nothing in them
from this fiourshing city Of ours, SO
to-day took stroll through the bus
mess part of the city to see what
there was to be seen. The first place
| came to after walking along the
snowy path from my sod-coverad cab
in was the residence of J. McCarty
and family. Nc was sitting in front
of the house, on box, industriously
whiting stick with broken jack
knife. Passing on to the next place,
the residence of Mr.. and Mrs. J.D.
McMahon, | went into the house of
the happy little family. Looking
around saw in one corner of the
room jack plane and chisel, in the
| opposite corner rusty saw and
square, and under the table laid
smoothing plane and nail hammer. l
said to him: "Why are your tools
lying around like that?" He said:
"They might just as we'll be there as
any other place, as could get moth
ing but due bills for their services"
| said no more, but passed on to the
large quartz mill, and as l was pass
ing the house where last winter the
foreman and mill builder stopped, |
looked up and saw standing in the
door man with an old slouch hat on
and wearing gum boot slippers and
antiquated overshoes. Badly gone to
seed. then went to the mill to lis
ten to the music of the twenty stamps,
hear the puff of the engine and see
the hot chlorodlzlng furnace and re-
volving roaster. | opened the door
and looked in, and thought somebody
, had struck me in the face with a
bucket full of snow as the cold breath
of air struck me that thought could
come from no place but the arctic ice
bergs. No music from the stamps,
no puff of the engine, nor no hot
1 roaster. All was as still as the tomb
r Something seemed to say: "Men
{ have been at work here, but they are
. not here now" | then started on
r my way to the city, and first strike
:! Tom Graney's saloon, where last sum-
mer saw the sports stacking theii
r money on the high card, and the pro-
r prietor doing rushing business
t There sat Tom, reading four cent
| novel, while two men were quarrel
i ing over a card game for a dime:
n worth of chewing tobacco, and an
: other tickling the belly of viollI
: with one string gone. | went ou
o and on to look for place more quie
e than that and found it-yes, severa
It of them, in the very heart of the city
e | looked through the window o
/ Nose Kempner's lodging house ant
saw a bald head that looked like
e full moon, and also three-legget
Il dog-all that had registered that day
e The next place is Curtis saloon, so
n thought | would call on Charley an
st see how the world uses him. | wen
IS up to the door and took hold of tn
ID knob, but the door did not open.
stepped to one side and locke
through broken pane of glass. Their
X was that same old look of gonenes
10 I could see only wood rat jump OF
"a of his nest behind the looking glas
to .sWell," says l, 81 will go and sc
RI Shanahan and Stanley" and wake
n. up to the door and found it the sam
he as.Curtis'-locked. I kept up I'll
he old plan, that of looking through tt
Y. window when the door was locke'
Of Here | saw three men lying on I'll
81. tables, Stanley sound asleep, covere
,ts with pair of blankets and his owe
Ir coat. A few mice ran across II
Of floor to their hiding places as gaze
,o. through the window. | did not lo'
Il. in at the barber shop, knowing tn
nd the barber was hauled out last ia
10 "Now where will l go?" | asked m
~ self as stood in the center OF t
he street; but on looking up sa
mt across the street, house with lar
th sion on it. | read it slowly al
les carefully. Can 1t be possible 'na' q .
ms ewes are fooling me? No, 1t is I
ost nlain-"Gem Saloon" | starteo