Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-01-22
LIFE IN MINING REGIONS.

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LIFE IN MINING REGIONS.
II Possesses Fascination That Can Not
Be Easily Shaken Off-Less Dangerous
Than Supposed.
Mr.. Albert Williams, Jr., distin-
guished mining engineer of Denver,
contributes an exceedingly interesting
paper to the October number of the
Engineering N090z!ne. under the cap
ton Modern Types of Gold and Sill
yer Miners" 1t is replete with anthem
tic information upon subject which
has been largely overdrawn by imagln-
alive writers aud he reveals a great
deal that is worth knowing of the in
teresting career of precious metal
miners as "A class.
The traditional prospector will soon
be as extinct as the dodo. He was a
picturesque character in fiction and in
reality. and he will be missed. His
disappearance will not be due to the
absence Of ground to be prospected.
but to tine different conditions under
which such work is now done. In
early times the prospectors were liter
ally gOld-seekers; they were after sur
for enterprising, hardy men TO over
run a considerable territory in the
search for this class of deposits easily
discoverabie by simple panning tests
here and there and only to be looked
for in certain Typographical situations.
and the country has been So thor
oughly gone over that the likelihood
If finding anything of Importance in
I,o Of nj, hos hnnn StaaHilv
essened. The prospectors of to-day
give their attention mainly to veins
and deposits lin place. which
are much more difficult to locate. The
pioneers used to cover great distances,
undergo almost inconceivabe priva-
tiunS and hardships, and It times face
dangers from hostile Indians. Now it
is found that the immediate neigh bor-
mood of ones own camp is about as
likely place to prospect in as one far
lncr away. and many of The best lode
strikes have been made in the heart of
districts where mining has been going
on for years.
There is a fascination about mining
life which, once having possessed a
man, cannot easily be shaken off. A
miner who has made a good stake by
selling his locations at first proposes to
himself TO travel, then to settle down
in his own original home; but after
little while he discovers that he HIM
self has changed. that old ties have
been broken and that he is disappoint-
ed in his former associations. Things
at home seem to have ineXplicablv
dwindled. An almost irresistible i'm
pulse a transferred nostalgia. long
ing for the clear, bracing mountain
air and the liberal ways of the mines,
then seizes him. 1t is difficult to con-
tent ones self with the monOtonous
life of the staider communities after
having tasted a more eXhilaratino 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
camaraderie. and the entire absence of
commercial competition have their in
fluence as well. So numbers of men,
having acquired a competence IN min
ing, make their headquarters still in
the mining country as a matter of
preference, not necessity. Such men
are much in the habit of taking short
trips away, and are to be met with all
through the highways and byways of
travel. To be able to lead this pleas
ant, independent life is the dream of
the less fortunate ones. Miners are
very apt to disparage their calling
while they are actively engaged in it;
they may term it "a dogs life" but
let them once be freed, mark how they
banker after it!
Some people suppose that mining
camp is an unusually dangerous sort
of place, full of desperadoes and "hold-
ups" where every man carries his life
in his hand The misconccptiou has
been handed down from rougher.
wilder times and has been kept alive
by the romancing of tenderfout news
! paper correspondents. A man is far
safer in a mining-camp than on Cherry
! Hill, New York; Tar Fiat. San Fran
/ cisco, or large areas in any Of our
cities; much more indeed than in any
! parts of London or Paris. So far as
/ robbery is concerned one is not safe
! anywhere, in the mountains or IN the
/ towns. As to atfrays of other kinds
: man who is sober. minds his own husi-
/ ness and does not set up as a fighter
would always be let alone. If, he does
not carry a gun" so much the better
for him, for there is among the rough
! est characters a certain sense of chiv-
airy. which they would call square
ness" that prevents attack upon an
unarmed man. The practice of carry
! ing arms is not at all universal in the
mountains When pistols are worn
they are kept out of sight. Indeed,
J there is not much use TO a peaceful
man in carrying arms at all. If he is
''held up by the road agents he is
always at disadvantage, being taken
unexpectedly. and when they have the
drop on him a motion toward the hip
pocket would be to t;lke large chances.
If the custom-so far as it goes-of
carrying weapons may sometimes lead
to unprecedented fatal encounters, it
also has the effect of making men
quiet in manner and cautious about
! giving offense. SO that even when