The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-02-07

and pressed together. It can be caryet
into any form with knife. It takes n
much time to work off s square foot O
hard pan as ten square feet Of soft gravel
When. after a half days labor, We sue
coed In getting down cave, 1t goes int
the ground sluice In q few great lumps
which must be battered to pieces win
onr picks before tho water will siowl,
dissolve them into mud. And It docsn1
hold "color" OF gold. The work lie
the ground sluice goes on hour aftel
hour. Pick and shovel and scrape
scrape and shovel and pick, the water
meantime tumbling and roaring over The
bank and making It difficult for US tc
hear one anotllers' voices. The str
climbs higher and gets hotter. The
water pail Is frequently visited. The
backs Of the gray shirts are wet with
preparation. In IN easy, companions
Die claim, where the partners arc all
good fellows and on good terms aud no,
too insane Ia the matter OF getting an
enormous quantity OF dirt through the
stuices each day, there may be more or
less brief suspensions from the work,
when oil hands lean on their shoyels and
talk politics, or horses, or last bipbl's
poker game, Or have n short service OF
tobacco smoke, with the usual solemn
preliminaries OF cutting the plug and
filling pipes. But II the majority OF the
company" are mean, grabbed, close.
tisted lot, the misery goes on without
cessation.
a eueerly assorted group are We thus
laboring together. Jack OWNS impell.
ing hope and life's idea is 10 earn enough
to pay his passage home to PHILADELPHIA
and buy him suit Of clothes. A decent
suit he has not earned these five wears.
tie would be the terror and distress OF
his relatives II ever he got back, for with
him s. in bis pocket over expenses and
sobricty are an impossibility, Mead.
den dreams OF a cabin, COW, some geese
and goats, u horse and wife, and Is in n
fair way Of realizing them nit. lie saves
most Of his earnings, gets drunk wisely
only on holidays, pays his debts repli.
larly, hates the English. lives in tint
little black. brownish cabin up yonder,
does all his cooking in two tin pots.
sleeps in one pair OF ancient blankets and
4 more disreputable bed quilt, and s. viii
cover the cost OF all his domestic tittinvs
and utensils. Bill Furnea, n French O..
nadim, has driftcd here into this hole in
the foothills very much as he driited into
the world-without aim or object in lie
save present employment. He is a good
worker and works because he was
brought up to itand can't hclpit. Heis
a good boatman, good logger, skilled
wood-cutter, adevotce OF poker and gen.
orally Il successful one, an entertaining
scamp, full Of wit and originality, oujcx
to take in the peculiarities and eccen-
sricities OF others, something OF dandy,
as far as dandyism can be INDUCED In
this out Of the way place, and Il born
scamp, glib OF tongue, unreliable, aud
socially the best man OF the crowd.
1t is near II o'clock. There stands in
cool corner Of the claim and carefully
shielded from any stray flying pebble, a
black bottle. 1t is nearly full Of whisky
very common corn whisky. 1t is most
welcome ut this hour. Poison it NAV
DO, but a drauyht from the tin cup
brishtens up and makes all things new,
The sunshine is more cheerful. All M.
ture smiles. The picks desceud with in.
creased force and host OF new lay
dreams start into being. It was ever thus.
and possibly ever shall be, world without
end. 1t is high noon. The sun is over
our heads and the shadows are ut their
shortest length. One Of our number
trndges wearily up to the reservoir to
shut oil the water. So soon AZ it's flow
lessens we trudge Off in wet oyera,ls or
heavy rubbe,s to our respective cabins.
We are now ground sluiclng at or about
the year 1860, when miners generally
had abandoned Calming in squads and
each man kept house by himself. Cause
incompatibility OF temper,
temperament, disposition and habit,
The sober miner found it disagreeable to
live permanently with the spreeiup
miner, and the miner nice in his domes.
tic economy and particular about Ills
food, soon bee me tired OF companion
who never aired his blankets and didn't
caro- whether his bread was light or
heavy, sweet or sour. Trudging to our
cabins, We pick up the dried ,wigs in our
path. These are to kindle the dinner
fire. Dinner is very much like break.
fast, beef or bacon, bread, tea, dried
apple sauce. The boots are kicked of
and thumped into corner. The tenn.
perature is up to that notch that in
duces PRECIPITATION without any eyertion
atall, and the ugly little stove makes it
hotter still.
We sit down TO the noon meal in q
melting condition, and rise from it in
the same state. Dinner is eaten, the
incoming" is over, back again to the
claim, turn on the wnter, pick, shovel,
scrape, pry, toss back powders and prop
up sluices slipped from their supports,
Between and 5 o'clock snowy white
cloud rises over distant peak to the
eastward. 1t seems like great bank OF
snow against the blue sky, and the
longer We look at it the farther we seem
TO peer into its translucent, clear-white
depths. It rises over that peak at almost
the same hour every afternoon, and is
almost the same shape. It is the con-
densed vapor Of the snow melting on the
highest Sierra submits, eighty.six miles
distant. 1t is imposing in its silent i'm.
PoACSPsloAo AAoAA6t 10 NoAucIlul WllLe.
ness, its ma esty, its distance. Itseems a ijt
bed Of snowy splendor for fairies or some
sort OF ethereal beings to bask and reyel
in. 1t seems to be looking down, half
in scora, half IN pity, at us four weary,
miserable worms OF the dust, feebly neck
ing at bit OF mother earth, muddy, wet
and feebly aqnirming in and about this
bank Of dirt.
At 4 o'clock there are longer pauses in
our labors. There is more leaning on
shovels and more frequent gIances at
our timepiece, the sun, us he sinks in
the western heavens. The shadow 81
the hill opposite creeps slowly down its
side. It's a cool, welcome shadow, The
strongest worker secretly welcomes it.
Though he be "horse 81 man." his
muscles all feel the effects Of the long
days labor. 1t is more lis strong will
than his body which keeps him swing.
ing the pick. We are in duty bound to
work till 9 o'clock. Everybody works
till 6 o'clock. Everybody is moro or less
tired at 4 o'clock, but it is not the capa.
city OF tho body for labor that fres the
time. 1t is custom, stupid custom. The
gauge is the limit Of physical strength
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