The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-23
THE MINES OF SILVER CREEK.
Tunnels Through Ice and SNOW to Tsp
the Rich Silver Lodges.


wear early on the morning of the day set
for the final examination of the location
far above the camp. "But I'll fix you out.
Here, Bill. get q couple Of gunny sacks.
cut them into square widths and tie them
on the tenderfoot's feet" The coarse bags
were ripped, and. after adjusting stout
leggins that reached above the knees, the
square pieces were folded diagonaliy and
then roped securely to the feet and ankles.
This footwear looked ungainiy and cum
brous, but it kept me from sinking
knee-deep, and averted a bad case
of chilblain. Then masks - blue,
white, green and yellow, the same
as worn at Yellow Dog socials-wer
passed around. The stock of blue-glass
spectacles ran short, but the expert was
equal to the emergency. "Get some burnt
cork. Bill" said he. This minstrel necss-
sity was carefully laid on above and under
the eyelashes, care being used not to put
any on them. "That's as good as glasses"
said our manager. whenever you are
short of specs and need something to keep
glare of sun from binding on snow or
water just draw burnt cork circles under
the eyes. 1t will work like q charm"
And it did.
Thus harnessed for the expedition we
began our climb. The expert set his
barometer and led the way. Flower
carpeted mounds, from which the hot sun
had melted the snow, were soon left be-
low. and we commenced gradual ascent
on the white foOt-tracked slope. Part of
the trail took us across the lower edge of
q living glacier-one of the few remaining
in Uncle Sans original domain. 1t had
showed lightly the night before on the
trackless expanse of lee, and crossing
and recrossing our trail well-defined bear
tracks led up to lairs in the Businesses of
the granite hills far across and
high above the blue-creviced frozen
formation. We Rugged the deep snow
on the edge of this dangerous
and deceptive ice plain and began
to lag. On the bowlder-built mo-
From steely sky the sun, like a ball of
fire, sent down direct and scorching rays.
Back from the snow came a refraction that
burned while it blinded. The air was cool,
but in the sunlight small streams were
born on the exposed slopes OF the uplifts
and sent down to join the swelling river
that ran under the blue depths to dash
over the mountain side thousands of feet
below.
Leaving the crest of the moraine we
again entered the limb-tiring, softening
white pathway for final pull to the
gaiena-veined peaks. They did not appear
to be very far away. But the distance was
deceptive, and time and again we spread
gum coats on the steep stretch, dug heels
into its yielding bosom, and thus secured
for slide that might land us in a soft val
ley far below, fairly gasped for breath.
Above US pigmy-like people came in and
out of the sides of the bleak walls that shot
straight skyward. We shouted and their
voices came down to US. mingled with
laugh and jest at our slow progress.
But we finally got there. And what
a sight rewarded us. The lower
opening of the location, which
was very close to the edge of the glacier,
was below the snow. To expose it the
miners had run a tunnel forty feet long
under and into the deep white bank that
chilled the base of the mountain. In its
arched ice-coated roof and sides the drip
ping waters from above had carved Curl
Gus caverns and woven strange designs.
There were chambers, tiny rivulets and
waterfalls, stalagmites and stalactites of
purest ice-a veritable miniature Mann
moth cave. cool, clear, enhancing. There
we drank of water that had never touched
soil or stone-cold, uncontaminated.
Near q tunnel 175 feet above the drillers
were putting q hole in a huge pinch of
solid silver-bearing galena. When the
blast was ready for the match we slid
down behind a rocky wall and there heard
ing chunks fly through and over the snow,
all with a goodly portion of their weight in
gold. Then the expert and his man went
to work. Alone they traversed and took
samples from the leads laid bare by pick
and drill in the big bores on whose roofs
and floors the pay streak was well defined.
Clear across the mineralized material be-
tween the two porphyry walls samples
were secured. Not one Of the interested
owners of the claim were permitted to
catch peep of the places selected.
Only four hands handled the ore and
only two persons knew where it came
from. Much time was thus spent and
more was consumed in tape-line measure
ments and geological study. Then the
two workers sought a ledge and for several
hours pounded the pieces into small frag-
ments. Each pile was quartered and
pounded finer, quartered again and further
puiverized, and carefully put up in clean,
strong little sacks which were sealed and
guarded. This continued until over a
dozen samples fair average of the claim
SO far as exposed-were bagged. No one
but the engineer and his assistant touched
even tiny piece of the ore. An attempt
made at the beginning brought forth such
an emphatic protest that further offers of
assistance were not rendered. The precious
little bags were then tenderly cared for by
those who filled them.
The ore lead could be traced from the
snow line to the peak of the location, q
distance of l 500 feet, where it was lost on
the white covering on the very top of the
range. Along this we crawled and SAM
pied. Clinging with hands to the crevices
on the granite face of the side wall with
toes barely finding a leverage on tiny
lodges, We got to where we could throw
our arms around steeple-shaped pima
Gle and rest, and admire. We seemed to
be in the center OF vast amphitheater of
snow and ice. Its base was fringed with
giant forest lost in deep green valleys.
The bright sun Enthusiastically colored
the bleak mountains, whose snOw-spotted
walls and white heads bounded The
eye sweep. Far a, vision could travel
range upon range appeared. Above all
lowered two huge humps of everlasting
snow--mountains whose crowns are spot
less, whose brows are never barred to the
sunshine. There we chung in speeches.
bewilderment, listening to the thunder
making snowslips, mentally measuring
the distance-sitting for nature to place a
photograph On the mind that memory will
ever retain.
The beauty of the scene had long before
led US to cast off the masks and secure I'M
INSTRUCTED views. When we turned our
faces downward they were smarting aud
swelling. But the pain was paraiyzed by
the pleasure of that slide and roll
campward. Down the steep declivl-
ties we ran and tumbled, tired
but playful under the mesneric spell
worked by scene and snow. From the
moraines We rolled big and little bouiders.
and gieeiuly watched them dance and
speed out of sight over the burrows made
by the winds. On sun-warmed flower
decked mounds We rested and saw the