The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-31
LIFE IN MINING N
Less Danger and Less Noise Than In An,
Of the Large cities.


Less Danger and Less Noise Than In AM
81 the Large Cities.
The traditional prospeotor will soon b,
AZ extinct as the dedo. He was a pictur
eaqus character in fiction and IN reality,
and he will be missed. His Disappearance
will not be due to tho absence of ground to
be prospected, but to the different condi-
tions under which such work is now done
In early times the prospestors wer'
literally gold seekers; they wer'
after surface plaoers. II takes but =
little time for e~nterprising. hardy men =
overrun q considerable territory IN tht
search for this class Of deposits. easily dis
coverable by simply banning tests hete ane
there, and only to be l. oked for in certain
Typographical situations, and the country
has boon 10 thoroughly gone over that the
likelihood of finding ANYTHING OF i'm
been steadily lessenea. The pros
pectors of to-day give their atten-
tion mainly to veins and ~lodes-depositf
:" in place" which are mnch more difficult
to locate. The pioneers used to cover great
distances, undergo almost inconcoiyanie
privations and hardships and at times face
dangers from hostile Indians. Now IT ia
found that the immediate neighborhood OF
ones own camp ia about as likely a place &c
prospect az i'll one farther away, n many OF
1 VAN AWAY W AAN 49,
heart Of districts where mining had been
going on for years.
There is a fascination about mining life
which, oncs having possessed u man, cannot
easily be shaken of. Aminer who has MADE
a rood stake by selling his location at tirst
proposes to himself to travel. then to settle
| down in his own original home; but after a
little while he discovers that he himself has
changed. that old ties have been broken and
that he is disappointed in his former assocIa-
tions. Things at home seem to have mex
plicably dwindled. An slmost irresistible
for the clear, bracing mountain air and the
liberal ways of the mines then seiZea him.
1t is difficult to content ones self with
the monotonous life Of the stsider COM
niunities after having tasted a more e1-
hilarating one. The attraction of the mines
is not all in the hope of gain, though that
of course has much to do with it. The
friendships formed, the freedom OF thought
and custom, the spirit OF camaraderle. and
the entire absence OF commercial competl-
ton have their influence as we'll. So num-
bers of men, having ACQUIRED a competence
in mining make their headquarters still in
the mining country as a matter of prefer
ence, not necessity. Such men are much in
the habit Of taking short trips away, n
are to be met with all through the highways
and byways of travel. To be able to lead
this pleasant, independent life is the dream
OF The less lOTtuldbe OuCSs AllHpIS uIo fCAy
apt to disparage their calling while they are
actively engaged in it: they may term it IA
dogs life" but let them once be freed,
mark how they banker after it!
Some people suppose that a mining camp
is an unusually dangerous sort of place,
full of desperadoes and "hold-ups," where
every man carries his life in his hand. Tn
misconception has been handed dow from
rougher, wilder times, and has been kept
alive by this romancing of tendsrfoot nows-
paper correspondents. A man is far safer
in a mining camp than on Cherry Hill,
New York, Tar Flat, San Francisco, or
large areas in any OF our cities; much more
So far as robbery is concerned one
is not safe anywhere, in the noun
tains or III the towns. AS to ARRAYS of other
kinds, a man who is sober, minds his own
business and does not set up as a fighter
would always be let alone. If he does not
for there is among the roughest characters
a certain sense of chivalry, which they
would call ''squareness," that prevents at
tack upon IN unarmed man. The practice
of carrying arms is not.at all universal in the
mountains. When pistols are worn
they are kept out OF sight: In,
a peaceful man in carrying arms at all. II
he is ''held up by the road agents" he
is always at a disadvantage. being taken
unexpectedly: and when they have the dtop
on him a motion toward the hip pocket
would be to take large chances. If the GUS.
tom-so far as it goes-of carrying weapons
may sometimes lead to unprecedented
encounters it also has the effect OF
aking men quiet in manner and cautious
about giving ~offense, SO that even when
whisky is talking there is less noise and
certainly less disposition for a ~rough-and- |
fight than under similar circum-
in cities.-Engineering Magazine.