The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-05-23
THE ANAN1As CLUB.

THE ANANIAS CLUB.
It's Members Tell Some Astonish- +
ingly Bald-Faced Lies.
A Powerful lrrenchman Who pulletla Rail.
road Train-An Hcrculean Isostonisn
Whose Chief Amusement Consisted
In Boring Holes with tis Head.
1.-THE most powerful man ever saw .
was Zulu called 'Spotlet,' who worked
:.ext to me when we were digging the
Panama CANAL" remarked Patrolman
Conklin. "What in other men was q
strenuous effort was to him tho merest
child's play. He saved the company q
great deal of money in blasting powder
alone. Any thing he could get a firm
grip on had to come. have seen him
toss twenty-ton rock out of the ditch
as easily as Patrolman Davis can juggle
wienerwurst."
''When was in Parec," said PATROL
man Asch, 81 saw man used instead of
a locomotive on one of tho railroads.
He would be coupled to train and
would pull it ut q good, fair speed. OF
course, he didn't make the time that an
engine would make, but IL my memory
serves mo right, he made about fifteen
miles an hour. had quite q talk with
the superintendent of tho road, and no
was much pleased with the experiment.
lie said the company would very likely
use men to haul it's trains exclusively.
1t was much cheaper and the danger
from collision was not great. This would
make up for the lack of speed. The ex-
pense Of shoeing and feeding the man
Vas considerable, but still he was cheap,
as compared with the average loco
motive.
IA funny thing happened on the road
q few days before left. Tho man-en-
gine drank too much wine, and in stag
ecriMg from ono side Of the track to the
otlcr kept derailing the cars, and tho
entire traffic of the road was delayed for
several hours, or until the engine go.
sober enough to go ahead. A scheme
like this would be u good thing for this
country, Think
s'ln 1850 I was in San Francisco"
chipped in Patrolman Jim Pope. "Ihc
gold fever was raging, and every one
had exalted ideas of tho wealth that
vas to be found in tho earth. Was
much younger than am now - though
you wonld hardly think it to look at mo
and, like every one else, went to the
montains to dig gold. had n peculiar
lE-ferlncd pick-axe which ! used with
great sua!css. In tho point of tile pick
aNe was placed dynamite cartridge,
, and every time 1 would sink tho pick
I six inches into the rock, the cartridge
would explode, thus blasting out the
saono and saving . great deal OF extra
work. had been picking away for
about two months on top of 81 mountain
End had made quito hole. Tito yield
was pretty fair, and had about $4,000
| in COLA nuggets laid away. Ono day
went down into my mine and was work
ing away like good fellow. Suddenly
the stone floor slowly raised for q dis
tance of two feet. yelled to my part
\ ucr to haul mo up, tor didn't know
! what was coming. Don't bc alarmed,
| friend, said q voice under tho stone.
! .I'il he out in minute and then
i III talk to s3ou.' Sure enough head
! popped UP and a man slowly drew him
self through the aperture.
".Did you say howdy?' said the
stranger with a laugh. Il know I said
howdy. Pretty tight squeeze, but l
made it, OF course Won understand,
friends, was considerably ratified.
"'N'ho are you and whcre did you
come fron?' asked.
"sDefore furnishing the required dia-
gram and accompanying explanation let
mo inquire If you have any chewing to-
bacco about you?' said the stranger.
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. My
name is Sardanapalus Boiling. Esq. My
home is in Boston. You necdn't tell me
. Jim Pope, of indianapolis. suppose
) yon want to know how came here
Well, have no objection to telling you
About three months ago started q tun
, ncl at the side of the mountain, think
, ing that would find plenty of ore.
met with pcor success, and after hai
gonc in about half a mile made up m,
mind to abandon my claim, when some
thing seemed to tell mo to bore up in
stead ofdown. thought it wouldn't t d.
any harm to try it Just for luck, and s,
+ commenced. had taken out goot
deal CT ore when heard you pounding
, up above me, and concluded to com,
!, on and join you, and here am
"'But whcre are your tools?' asked
, in aston;shmcnt. 'Toois?' exclaimed
, MIR. Boiling, of Boston. Il had no tools
i l did all my tunncling with my hands
head ami feet. would just put M,
. head against the earth, whiri around an,
, have q hole about to my shoulders, an
then would tear out the earth or rock
: or whatever it might be, with my hands
e Sometimes would lay down on m
!; back and kick hole with my heels, bn
{ didn't like to do that very much be
cause would get dirt in my eyes Well
to mako long story short, the minin
8 firm of Pope & Boiling vas formed, an
), we worked together for three years. w
i became very wealthy, established q lin
of steamships between San Francisc
and Cape Cod, and when Boiling die
he was worth $40, 0,0O0,OUO. Tho money
made I've got yet"
d And then. says the Indianapolis New