The Portland daily press., 1889-12-21
NKEY MINERS.
Sharp-Eyed Quadrumania that are
Better VI orkers than Men.

0SttoT w OfkefS IMAM MEN,
philadelphia Timesl
In the diamond mines monkeys are
said to be very valuable aids in hunting
the precious stones. Many stories have
been told and written of the usefulness
of these clever, sharp eyed little animals.
Africa has been for centuries the strong
hold of the marvellous, and doubtless
most of those who have read anecdotes
about monkeys in the mines have known
what to think of them. But I have a
story about mines and monkeys that is
true, can be verified, and is given with
out varnish. We shall not go beyond
our own country.
Some time ago friend told me that
monkeys were employed in the gold dig
gings of South Carolina. He wove for
me very interesting account of their
labors and of their value as laborers. My
thoughts were busy the while with an
other animal-the fish. But since then
/ have come face to face with the man
who employs them, and have heard from
his own lips the story of these strange
workers. He is the proprietor of gold
mine in the interior of the Palmetto
state, and interested with him in dig
ging the gold bearing quartz are num-
Der of eastern capitalists, who have
themselves witnessed the habits and in
genuity of their monkey workmen.
TWO DOZEN MONKEYS IN THE MINE.
Capt E. Metz who was born in Yankee
land, tells the story of the queer little
animals who work for him in the mines
He is typical New Highlander from Yer
mont, and served in the Union army
during the rebellion and settled in the
south after the war. His mines are stu
ated near Chesterfield, in South Carolina,
about twenty miles off the railroad. He
has been working them at profit for a
number of years, and new and improved
machinery is constantly making them
more valuable. AS l saw him he was
on his way to Chicago to purchase an
other new mill to increase the facilities
for his gold digging operations.
II havetwenty-four monkeys" said he
employed about my mines. They do
the work of seven able bodied men, and
it is no reflection upon the human labor
ers to say that they do class of work a
man cannot do as well. In many in
stances they lend valuable aid where
man would be useless. They gather up
the small pieces of quartz that would be
passed unnoticed by the workingmen
and pile them up in little heaps that can
be easily gathered up in a shovel and
thrown into the mill. They are exceed
ingly adept at catching the little particles
and their sharp eyes never escape the
very things that the human eye would
pass over"
"How did you first come to employ
them?'
"When I went to digging gold l had
two monkeys that were exceedingly in
teresting pets. They were constantly
following me about the mines, and one
day I noticed that they were busily en-
gagged in gathering up little bits of quartz
and arranging them in piles. They
seemed to enjoy the labor very much
and would go to the mines every morn
ing and work there during the day. 1t
did not take me long to catch on to their
value as laborers, for at that time our
workingmen, who are mostly colored,
were unskilled and oftentimes almost
useless. My two pets had not worked
very long before decided to procure
more. So 1 Immediately imported
number, and now have two dozen work.
ing daily in and about the mines. It is
exceedingly interesting to watch my two
pet monkeys teach the new ones how to
work, and stranger still to see how read
lily the new corners take to it,
DOING DETECTIVE WORK.
Strange to say, they control them
selves. They work as they please, some
times going down into the mine when
they have cleaned up all the debris on the
outside. They live and work together
without quarreling any more than men
do. They are quite methodical in their
habits and go to work and quit like true
workingmen. They need some care and
have a colored man who superintends
them. He feeds them and looks well af-
ter their comfort. They have their meals
regularly and eat much the same charac-
ter of food as human beings do. Corn
bread is great favorite with them. They
clean up about the mines, follow the
wheelbarrows and carts used in mining
and pick up everything that falls off
along the way. No one who has not seen
them can even imagine the wonderful
intelligence they display and the neatness
and cleanliness with which they perform
their work. Nothing escapes them.
Every little particle is picked up and cared
for. They go down into the mines and
come out as they please. They are friend
ly with the workmen employed there,
but are exceedingly shy with strangers.
They are most excellent detectives and
no workman can get on good enough
terms with them to carry away piece Of
quartz. The men frequently attempt it
just for sport, to see the monkeys get af-
ter them and chatter until they put down
whatever they have in their hands. It
is strange to see how they will discrimi-
nate between the tools used by the work
ingmen and piece of quartz. They only
keep their eye on and make fuss about
what they must recognize as my prop
erty. would not part with them, be-
cause I do not know how their place
could be supplied. Certainly not with
human ha;poc -