Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-06-03
TOUGH EXPERIENCES In LEARN
ING THE MINERS ART.

Jas. Brooks and the WoRLp's NOR
al philosopher, religious editor, met
allurglcal expert, analytical dlssecter
and dlscoverer Of metalliferous symp-
toms in all classes and grades of ore,
base and free milling, etc, etc., re-
turned Sunday from Copperopolis DIS
trlct. The type singing scribe of the
only great journal of Boise county
compliments himself, (but it is fair
here to state that Jim doesn't endorse
the compliment fully on his accom-
pllshments IN the intricate mysteries
of the mining art. After incessant
practice and painstaking care we
mastered the mysteries of engineer
ing a wheelbarrow successfully to
the dump, but the most difficult feat
at first was in keeping our manly
form and the barrow on the plank at
one and the same time. When we
were walking the plank the barrow
would somehow get into its constitu-
ton the stubborn, bucking element
of the thoroughbred cayuse, and
lunge headlong from the straight
and narrow way" which in this case
was one-half of a fir tree, split for the
occasion. When the barrow would
be sailing smoothly to its destination,
with the guider and engineer in the
rear, holding up its (the wheelbar-
row's) hind legs, and endeavoring to
keep up with the one wheeled ami
NAL, it would wobble to and fro in
dizzy, drunken manner, kick back
its hind legs, fly from our firm grip,
and toss us from the plank with great
force and lack of feeling, which sent
a streak of sulphides of sadness and
chlorides of Encouragement monkey
ing down our spinal column, and
clean down into our heels. What
made the performance more sad than
it otherwise would have been, was
the unjustifable, cruel manner of
Jim, who being a mining partner,
ought to have been filled with the
deepest, tenderest sympathies for our
difficulties, failures and feelings.
But he is a Missourian, and there
fore nothing could have been reason
ably expected in that line. During
those trying moments he would lay
down the hammer and drill, sit on a
green, high grade copper boulder,
stick his Missouri meerchaum (Which
he calls his Demmerkratick terbacker
burner) in his classic mouth, and
look cold, hard look at us and the
wheelbarrow. In speaking of the
pair of US, he never spoke of us in a
separate manner, but combined the
two in the monosyllabic expression
"vouens." This is a Missouri word,
which, translated, means a group OF
two or more. He would say: "Well,
I'll be jumped up dad blast 1t, if
youens amt fine pair of persim-
mons. When ones on the others
off, and versa vice" Then he'd
laugh a cold, hard laugh, without a
ripple of a smile to relieve its hard
ness, and our hopes and joys all van
ished for the time being like sum
mer cloud or beautiful dream. But
although we despaired, we nevel
gave up. In our tender youth, while
an impressionable school kid, a pic
ture in q reader, with its accompany
ing moral lesson, made a deep i'm
preston on our plastic makeup. l
was a simple picture of boy making
a grand success, as a complete fail
ure, in the kite flying art, and ven
erablo old gentleman utterlng tn
, words, full of depth and moral fore
-"If at first you don't succeed, try
try again" These words nav
been ringing in our aurlculars eve
and anon since those youthful day
, when we gazed at the picture of tha
f discouraged youth with tears In ou
: eyes. That Is maxim-"lf at hrst'
etc,.-that possesses more solid valu'
when the full force of its moral III
port strikes in deeply-than the rlcl
est gold NINE. When we failed W
= tried again, with an almost indehnl1
+ number OF tries, and were final
crowned with the glowing chaplet
n snccess and victory over the oosi
IT nate barrow, and succeeded in salIlr
e it successfully. We were crown'
al with the chaplet, it must be unde
IS stood, only fguratively, for in reall
t. our knowledge box was crowned WI
in an old, black, slouchy, oast-awa
ID holy hat, with brim that wore
20 downcast look. Dumping the hi