The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1893-08-11
A NEVADA "REMINISCENCES.
How a Deficiency of Currency Was Sup
piled in Mining Town

10 TIE SdH TTdHClSCO EJbWdbeT, lS-
lates the following Nevada reminis-
cence
All this talk about deficiency OF
circulating medium in Nevada, Colo
RADIO and other silver producing COM
munities calls to mind an interesting
experience in Candelaria, Esmeralda
county, New. 1t was in 1880, when
that camp - made famous by the
Northern Belle mine, which paid
from the grass-roots to the thousand
foot level, and disbursed a hundred
dividends before it levied an assess
ment-was still in flourishing con-
dition. On the day OF my arrival in
Candelaria / deemed it incumbent on
me, according to mining town ethics,
to invite party of friends to join me
in a social glass. The invitation was
accepted as a matter of course, and
to settle the score tossed twenty
dollar gold piece on the bar. After
the libation the barkeeper, who wore
Il buckskin suit, a broad brimmed
SLOUGH white hat and a sixshooter,
proceeded with great deliberation to
county my "change." First he put
down So So in silver, which he said
was all the coin he had in the till,
and made UP the balance OF SO %
due me in sight drafts, time checks,
promissory notes and store orders on
account of wages. 1t took ten pieces
OF paper to cover the sum OF SIS %,
the smallest being for 60 cents and
the largest for b IS, and the signers
were all strangers to me, whose sigma
lures | had never seen before. Quite
naturally objected. and the gentle
man behind the counter, &C a glance
recognizing that / was a tenderfoot,
confteously explained that ne had no
other change. He said that all the
''regulaY" money III the place had
been sent TO Frisco to pay for whisky
and bacon and beans, so the boys had
got up little plan Of their own to
meet the emergency. So many stages
We're being robbed by Milton A. Sharp
and his accomplices that the express
company refused TO send its treasure
boxes to the camp under any circum-
stances, and the discount for time
checks issued by the mines and mills
/ was about 3 per cent. After Trayer
\ got killed on account of 4 transaction
OF that kind the discounting scheme
became unpopular and the scheme of
the boys" was inaugurated. The
men employed in the mills and mines
had habit OF ascertaining the
amount OF their small bills around
town for shaving, for liquor, for to-
bacco or other necessaries, and would
have their months wages divided up
/ into small checks to meet the require
ments OF their several creditors. These
checks would be Endorsed and would
at once become a portion of the cur
culating medium of the community.
i If Il man should be SO thoughtless as
to take large check he could easily
have it changed into small ones by
/ indorsing it to Talbot Root, who
would Issue sight drafts on himself
for any amount required. Thousands
of dollars Of that kind OF money"
circulated in the town, and lin the
shuttle" it was known that some OF it
was not genuine-that the signatures
had been forged-yet no close scrutiny
was attempted. 1t was good enough
money for Candelaria, and was ac-
cepted at par by the faro bankers OF
Belleville and the saloonkeepers of
! Columbus. Even Aurora, then the
county seat, did not reject it, and
Charley May used to utilize it in pay
ing off jurors and witnesses from
Furnace canyon and Pickhandle
gulch. As the great body of this
circulating medium" had no stand
ing or recognition outside of the
county it was never sent abroad and
/ the stock was never depleted; SO the
4 business OF the community was car
,;a1 an with parfaet naap n nd comfort