The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1890-06-14
THE ANANIAS CLUB.
It's Members Tell Some Astonish-
ingly Bald-Faced Lies.
A Powerful FrenchmaD Who Pulled q Rail-
road Train-An Herculean BOstonian
Whose Chief Amusement Consisted
In Boring Holes with His Head.

"The most powerful man ever saw
was a Zulu called 'Spotlet,' who worked
i.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. l have seen him
toss twenty-ton rock out of the ditch
as easily as Patrolman Davis can juggle
wienerwurst.
when was in Paree," said Patrol
man Asch, II saw man used instead of
locomotive on one of the railroads.
He would be coupled to train and
would pull 1T at good, fair speed. OF
course, he didn't make the time that an
engine would make, but If my memory
serves me right, he made about fifteen
miles an hour. l had quite talk with
the superintendent of the road, and he
was much pleased with the experiment.
Hesai the company would very likely
v.
1t was much cheaper and the danger
from collision was not great. This would
make up for the lack of speed. The exe
pense of shoeing and feeding the man
was considerable, but still he was cheap,
as compared with the average loco
motive.
"A funny thing happened on the road
few days before left. The man-en-
CINE drank too much wine, and in stag
gering from one side of the track to the
ether 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, l think"
in 1850 l was in San Francisco"
chipped in Patrolman Jim Pope. "The
gold fever was raging, and every one
had exalted ideas of the wealth that
was to be found in the earth. / was
much younger than am now - though
you would hardl y think it to look at me
and, like every one else, l went to the
fnoutains to dig gold. had peculiar
ly-formed pick-axe which used with
great success. In the point of the pick
axe was placed dynamite cartridge,
and every time l would sink the pick
six inches into the rock, the cartridge
would explode, thus blasting out the
stone and saving great deal of extra
work. l had been picking away for
about two months on top of mountain
AID had made quite hole. The yield
was pretty fair, and had about $1S, 600
in gold nuggets laid away. One day
vent 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. yelled to my part
her TO haul me up, tor | didn't know
what was coming. Don't be alarmed,
friend, said a voice under the stone.
~ be out in minute and then
IN talk to you.' Sure enough head
popped up and man slowly drew him
self through the aperture.
Did you say howdy?' 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 REQ uired dia-
gram and accompanying explanation let
me inquire il you have any chewing to-
nacco about you?' said the stranger. 1
handed over slab of 'black strap plug,
ana after helping himself literally the
stranger handed the plug back, remark
ing: That's good stuff. Well, as to who
l am, I'm not ashamed to tell you. My
name Is Sardanapalus Boiling, Esq. My
nome Is in Boston. You needn't tell me
your name, for 1 know you. You are
jim Pope, of Indianapolis. I suppose
you want to know how came here.
meii, l have no objection to telling you.
"nout three months ago started tun-
Vel at the side of the mountain, think
ing that l would find plenty of ore. l
met with poof success, and after had
gone in about half mile made up my
mind to abandon my claim, when some-
'nlng seemed to tell me to bore up in
slead OF down. / thought it wouldn't do