The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-22
LIFE AS IT is IN A MINING CAMP.
There Are Many Elements Of the
Picturesque About 1t.
From the Omaha Wortd-HerdId.

From the Omaha World-HeraId.
Life in a mining camp bears an ideally
| picturesque aspect, and whether situated in
the dark shadow OF some rocky gorge
through which rushes noisy, snow-fed tor
rent, or upon rocky and precipitous hill
side, the scene is equally wild and romantic.
The little cabins. nestled in sheltered
hooks, where bit of level ground can be
| found large enough to hold the miniature
structure, with usually a sentinel pine at the
door and a well worn path to the stream,
| which lashes and foems along its rocky bed,
| or they cling to the steep mountain sides,
where winding trails lead to the ravine
| below.
The hills, the Rulches, the very rocks are
literally honeycombed with dark tunnels
and prospect holes,n where men have
| searched with pick and powder for the pre-
cious metals, aud many hope lies buried
in these excavations, where these white
"clumps" CLEAN like new graves among the
gray rocks and the green pines.
The camp that has outlived its boom has
an especially desolute air. The old shaft
houses, with their tall smokestacks leaning
like the tower Of Pisa. the long tunnels, the
| deep, dark and gruesome shafts, going down
hundreds of feet into the earth, with their
rotten timbers and damp, slippery ladders.
| which erst have borne the feet of merry
workmen to their labors, gives one chill Of
horror to look down into their yawning
| depths, and one can fancy he sees the
CHASTITY light of the miners candle Pickering
| here and there In the gloom.
But the busy camp, the camp that is
booming Is anything but quiet. At o'clock
whistles blow and swarms of men begin to
| disappear into the earth like prairie dogs
into their burrows and hundreds of feet
halo fha1 Trv-fu trvk ,1,In I,.kk
low candles. they drill and blast the solid
rock sll day. At 5 O'Clock they come up
pale and half-blnded by the sunlight, while
the might shaft" goes down in their place
to continue the work through the night.
Once miner, always a miner, seems to
be the rule. Perhaps it is the spice of dan
ger ever present in the probability Of an
exploding cap of the giant powder, fall
ing rock or The falling of timbers or ma
chinery that lends a fascination to many
whose nature Ia to toy with danger. At
any rate, a real miner seldom abandons his
occupation, although he may meet with
countless mishaps or lose months Of pay In
some dishonest company.
The majority Of gold miners are Ameri-
cans, aud are mostly an Intelligent, inde-
pendent and reliable class. Occasionally a
squad of dagoes get into the mines, but
their cowRrdice and superstitious render
them nearly useless No italian can be in
duced to enter a mine where an accident
he's ever occurred, especially if 1t has been
of fatal nature. Cornishmen are often
employed and usually are good workmen,
but their queer dialect and peculiar heuits
make them the butt of unmerciful ridicule.
Foreigners Just over show an amazing fear
OF bosses, as w0s shown in the case of
raw Frenchman recently, who worked
with unusual diligence during the visits
of the superintendent as to rouse that ofi-
calls suspicious. 1t was rather the habit of
the men to cease their work and chat ia
miliarly with the boss, at the same time Civ
ing attention to his instructions. But the
poor Frenohman, who was really good fell
low, anxious to hold his job, worked with
such untiring energy that 1t seemed evident
that his efforts we're strained for the pur-
pose of effect. The boss was Disguised and
threatened to discharge him. A few timely
hints from his fellow workmen, however,
induced the Frenchman to desist from such
extreme efforts and to sit down upon his
wheelbarrow at the next visit from the Off
cial, while his uneasy and frightened con-
dition caused the laugh to 60 round
While the work underground has its at
fractions for the brawny arm and skilled
hand, that of the anxious prospector above,
proving among the rocks and searching
every seam and crevice in search of gold, is
full Of alternate hope and dependency, and
many man grown gray in the work has
finally laid down to die broken III heart and
body In this mad following of the most ex-
aspsrating wlll-o'-the- wisp that ever lured
men on to despair. And If ever the genrle
goddess Of hope transforms herself into
demon 1t Is when she beckons with her al
Turing finger through mountain Businesses
while her victim piods with weary step,
ever searching step by step for that which
he will never find.
Man may be learned in mineralogy and
may be able to tell at glance the nature
and quality of ore. He may explain to you
the difference between telluride and tellu-
rum. He may know all the different strata
and formations and be able to survey the
distance through mountain TO an inch
And while this learned man canters gayly
along. fully equipped for successful pros'
pecting tour, some poor tendertoot or green
hobo. Flooding by abstractedlY, kicks over
a rotten stump or digs his heels into the
ground as be rests in the shade OF @ pine;
and 10 the precious metal is in sight. The
tenderfoot may or may not know thet the
rusty ore beneath his feet is worth s 900
per ton. The smart man may ride along
and offer him fair price for bic find or
boot at the idea OF its value and eventually
get it all; and again, the finder may be
smart enough to hold on TO it..
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Mother-My little girl goes 10 sleep so
ntralU niDht 4 ali tn, har