The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1892-08-13

eoched Oy gone ana nearly forgotten piO-
neers. "The fever" to which he referred
is that Of treasure hunting, and just now
1t seems to be quite prevalent, although
nothing can really come up to the rushes
for the gold fields that are historic episodes
in the development of California and Aus
tralia. Regarding the excitement in New
South Wales a pioneerof that far off prov
ince recently said:
chat we arrived ut the great Snowy river
rush, and what sight presented itself
at and around the spot where now Khan
dra stands! A complete town had been
built, and in all directions were the tents
and log cabins Of the miners, and more
heterogeneous and what may be called
mixed lot seldom has been gathered to.
gether. Stores of course were there III
abundance, the chief one being kept by the
con Of the prime minister of the colony,
then young man much respected by the
miners and traders at the rush, and who is
now high government official.
There was the local paper, The Alpine
Pioneer, started and owned by the late Mr.
Thomas Garrett-Tom Garrett, as all
called him, not then developed into thu
Astute and able politician he afterward co.
came, favOrite in those days as after.
genial in disposition and manner and witt
= naturally kind heart, then untouched by
the asperites of political warfare. OF
public houses of course there were num-
bers, that owned by big brawny Scotch
man, John Carmichael, being the chief;
and it was sight to see John himself and
his Yankee barmen filling the tumblers
with brandy hot the fashionable drink of
the place, and in true American style slid
ing them along the counter, it might be
for yards, to the thirsty liggers. Then at
night there were the dancehouses. where
could be seen the gaudily attired young
ls.lies from Sydney, waltzing with tho
miners, dressed in what was then the
morning and evening costume, the mole
skin trousers and blue serge shirt.
1.-THE consumption of brandy hot-a COM
pound OF boiling water, brandy and sugar
was enormous. 1t seemed to be drunk
BY all classes from morning till night, for
bitter was the cold, and standing in ice
cold water all day rocking the cradle, with
probably snow falling thickly around. was
no child's play, and the fiction prevailed
more then than even now, that to keep out
the cold you must dose the inside with ho.
and ardent spirit.
"For wild excitement, for dissipation,
good fellowship among all classes, for mud
In the SO called streets and roads, and, IA
has been said, for brandy hot, Kiandra was
far and away beyond all the gold rushes
ever seen in New South Wales. OF course
provisions and goods of all kinds were
enormous in price, for everything had TO
be packed on horses or carried by the Chi
nese on their bamboo sticks for the ten or
twelve miles into the town. Drays could
not travel, and indeed lucky were you if
IN drawing near the diggings you did not
get your horse in II bog and had to take
oil your saddle and leave the animal to die
rs it sank deeper and deeper in the swamp
All drinks at the public house were one
shilling, and as it seemed everybody
shouted for everybody, it may well be sup
posed that the publicans did a roaring
trade. But there was gold for all this,
gold in such abundance and SO easily go.
though, as it turned out, lying only in
very circumscribed arca-as was never ex.
celled in the country"
The Australian miners, according to the
above narrative, had plenty of ''life and
luck but encountered no such perils as
those which accompany treasure hunting
In Mexico. Adventures who have pene-
trated to the Sierra Madre mountains of
Chihuahua have strange tales to tell,
among others one about a mine which is
said to bc haunted by demon who brings
death to every one who attempts to take
metal from the bowels of the earth. This
spirit does not attack the miners, but he
causes all sorts of accidents to occur and
always shows himself just before the ia.
eaiity comes. He has been seen by few
Of the men who have escaped by what are
considered miracles, and each tells of his
awful appearance, ell accounts being ex-
sctly alike.
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