Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1890-03-12
THE ANANIAS CLUB.
It's Members Tell Some Astonish-
ingly Bald-Faced Lies.
APowerful Frenchman Who Pulled a Rail-
road Train-An HeEculean BostonIan
whose Chief Amusement Consisted
In Boring Holes with His Head.

was Zulu called 'Spotlet,' who worked
-ext to me when we were digging the
Panama canal" remarked Patrolman
Conklin. "What in other men was a
strenuous effort was to him the merest
child's play. He saved the company a
great deal of money in blasting powder
alone. Any thing he could get firm
grip on had to come. I have seen him
toss a twenty-ton rock out of the ditch
as easily as Patrolman Davis can juggle
wienerwurst' -..... .
"a funny thing happened on the road
few days before I left. The man-en-
glne drank too much wine, and in stag
gering from one side of the track to tho
other kept derailing the cars, and the
entire traffic of the road was delayed for
several hours, or until the engine got
sober enough to go ahead. A scheme
like this would be good thing for this
country, think"
SIN 1850 I was in San Francisco"
Clipped in Patrolman Jim Pope. 'sThe
gold fever was raging, and every ono
had exalted ideas of the wealth that
was to be found in the earth. I was
much younger than am now though
you would hardly think it to look at mo
and, like every one else, went to the
moutains to dig gold. had a peculiar
ly-formed pick-axe which I used with
great success. In the point of the pick
axe was placed dynamite cartridge,
and every time 1 would sink the pick
SIX inches into the rock, the cartridge
would explode, thus blasting out tho
stone and saving q great deal of extra
work. had been picking away for
about two months on top of mountain
and had made quite a hole. The weld
was pretty fair, and had about SIS, 600
in gold nuggets laid away. One day /
went down into my mine and was work.
ing away like good fellow. Suddenly
the stone floor slowly raised for a dis
lance of two feet. I yelled to my part
ner to haul me up, tor / didn't know
what was coming. Don't be alarmed,
FRIEND SAID a voice under the stone.
'Ill be out in minute and then
I'll talk to you.' Sure enough a head
popped up and man slowly drew him.
self through the aperture.
"'Did you say howdyP' said the
stranger with a laugh. Il know said
howdy. Pretty tight squeeze, but
made it, OF course you understand,
friends, was considerably ratified.
"'Who are you and where did you
come from? asked.
Before furnishing the required dia-
gram and accompanying explanation let
me inquire If you have any chewing to-
bacco about you?' said the stranger. I
handed over slab of black strap plug,
and after helping himself literally the
stranger handed the plug back, remark
ing: That's good stuff. Well, as to who
am, I'm not ashamed to tell you. NV
name Is Sardanapalus Boiling, ESQ. NV
home is in Boston. You needn't tell me
your name, for 1 know you. You are
Jim Pope, of Indianapolis. suppose
you want to know how I came hore.
Well, have no objection to telling YOU.
About three months ago started tun-
mel at the side Of the noun tain, think
ing that / would find plenty of ore.
met with poor success, and after had
gono in about half milo l made up my
mind to abandon my claim, when some.
thing seemed to tell me to bore up in
stead of down. thought it wouidn'tdo
any harm to try it just for luck, and so
L commenced. 1 had taken out good
deal c1 ore when 1 heard you pounding
up above me, and concluded to come
on and join you, and here am
"'But where are your toolsq' asked,
in astonishment. 'Toois?' exclaimed
Mr.. Boiling, of Boston. Il had no tools.
did all my tunneling with my hands,
head ana feet. l would just put nv
head against the earth, whirl around and
have hole about to my shoulders, and
then l would tear out the earth or rock.
or whatever 1t might be, with my hands.
Sometimes I would lay down on nv
back and kick q hole with my heels, but
didn't like to do that very much be-
cause would get dirt in my eyes Well,
to make long story short, the mining
firm of Pope & Boiling was formed, and
we worked together for three years. We
became very wealthy, established aline
OF steamships between San Francisco