The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-10-19
HOW A MILL WAS WICKED.
A Desire to See a Bowider Roll Down
Hill and the Coz sequences.

Hill ana the COC sequences.
From the Neso York Herald.
Nestled among the foothills Of the Sierra
! Nevadas, about twenty-five miles northeast
from PlacerVille-knows as HaDgtown in
the days of 49-lies collection OF frame
shantles and few more pretentious struct-
| ures, which together go 10 make up the
mining camp known as Grizzly Flat
The country about is wildly picturesque.
| Back of the camp a rugged, snow covered
| peak stands in solitary grandeur against
! the eastern sky. Giant pines, some of them
/ over twenty feet in girth. rise abruptly TO
/ towering nights on all sides, massive gran
! ite powders, over which the mountain
streams dash, swelling into resistless tor
rents with the melting of the winter SHOWS,
and deep, almost impenetrable canyons,
form an awe inspiring contrast to these soli-
tary hamlets that mark the sturdy advance
OF the vanguard of civilization into one of
natures most impregnable strongholds.
II was in such a place that had settled
down for two weeks of rest and recreation
at the beginning of July, some eight years
ago.
For several days fairly reveled among
the beauties of nature with which was sur
rounded. l f1shed some and had an o.
casional shot at a deer or fox. One bright.
sunny afternoon l found myself at the sum-
nit Of "the divide A ''dividen appears 20
be a feature of all the mining camps of the
west.
A ROMANTIC SPOT.
But this particular divide found TO be a
most beautiful and romantic spot. 1t con-
sisted OF a range Of high hills running
obliquely along the outskirts of the camp.
The view of the surrounding country, with
its lofty peaks and deep canyons, was
grandeur itself There was sheer descent
from where [ stood of about 1880 feet,
at an angle of 45 degrees. At the bottom
of the canyon a mountain stream. as il
wound its course over the rocks, resembled
thread of FURNISHED silver.
OH to the right and near the waters edge
stood the newly erected mill and hosting
works Of the Meta Mining Company From
my point OF observation the works re-
sembled a collection Of children's toy
houses. There were no men about the mill,
as the machinery aud hosting apparatus
were not yet put into place. A board fiume
| conducted tue water to q huge overshot
wheel that was to furnish the motive power
for the mill About half way up the hill
was the mouth of the tunnel entering the
| Meta mine, out of which | could see the
miners running their carG and dumping
their contents on TO the ore dump.
My attention was soon attracted to a
| huge granite bowlder as round almost as a
marble, and weighing, | Judged about
| twenty tons. 1t appeared to be poised
directly on the brow of the hill and ready
to topple over at a moments notice.
What a sightm l thought, ito see that
monster rolling down the hills
Idon't know how to account for the i'm
pulse that seized me just then. But was
soon at work with miners pick, which l
had found lying near by, digging under that
bowlder for dear life.
THE BowLDER STARTS.
Suddenly there was a scarcely preceptible
movement, as If Of some stately ship being
| slowly launched. Then a mighty rush a
roar and a cloud of flying rocks and other
debris. 1t makes me shudder even now TO
think of what followed
AS watched that mighty mass Of rock,
gaming fresh impetus with every bound,
go crashing down the hill my heart almost
ceased beating and my breath came in
quick, convuIsive gasps
At one point, when about half way down
the hill the bowlder, striking against a
sudden rising of the ground, flew high up
into the air, and then, in its descent, dashed
| against the trunk of a tall pine tree, which
| it shattered into splinters
It's course suddenly changed. "My God,
what haveI done" l cried. The DO " lder,
like shot from some giant cannon, was
| heading directly for the mill
Well, didn't have long to wait A sound
as of the rolling of distant thunder came up
| from the bottom of the ravine The
bowlder had struck the mill squarely in its
center and been dashed to fragments against
| the granite foundations
There was no mill TO be seen. The fiume
and the big wheel we're also gone. A mass
of unrecognizable rubbish indicated the spot
where the mill had stood but a moment be-
! fore. Then | noticed a commotion at the
| mouth of the tunnel. The miners came
| rushing out and stood about in excited
| groups gazing at the scene of desolation be-
| low them
heard from one of the miners in Grizzly
| that night that ''lightnin' or suthin' had
struck that there Devils Bowlder on top of
the divide" and that 'the hull pesky bust
ness had rolled onto the Meta Mill and
| smashed il into cord wood"
That was about all wanted Of ''silverv
mountain streams, grand canyons. giant
pines and snow-capped peaks for that sum-
mer. OF course l didn't dare to tell any one
OF what had done. left camp the next
day and haven't been there since was
| since told, however, that the Meta mill had
been rebuilt, and--but this is of no special
consequence tony story-that the mine was
one of the biggest failures on re 1ord