Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-12-26
THE END OF AN OLD MINER.
fhe Death of Jim Rule, Once the Super
intendent of the Comstock.


intendent of the Comstock.
Jim Rule, known wherever there is a
miner on the Pacific slope, is dead.
Rule came to the coast in the early days
with number of Cornish miners. Like
many others, his first experience was with
the pick and shovel He drifted into
Brown valley and began working the
famous Pennsylvania and Keystone mines.
There he began developing those talents
for underground mining that afterward
brought him fame and wealth, Water on
the lower levels forced the owners to aban-
don the Brown valley levels, and Rule
went across the mountains to the Com
stock lode, of which he had heard so much.
At first he worked with pick and shovel
till some astute "mine boss" perceived
that the man had talents for better things.
He rapidly passed from "shift boss" to
foreman and then to superintendent. One
of the first mines he directed was the Lady
Bryan, owned by his brother, John Rule,
and william O'Neil. When the Lady
Bryan was laid to rest in the graveyard of
"wildcats," Rule found employment with
Senator John P. Jones. Jones owned q lot
of mills on the Comstock. The mines Of
fering them ore were rapidly going to
wreck. Jones saw an end to his profitable
milling unless he could stir up business.
He conceived way out of the trouble in
leasing the mines and paying the directors
so cents ton for all the ore he took out.
In arranging for this work Jones employed
Rule as underground superintendent. 1t
was while engaged in this work that Rule
acquired his extensive knowledge of the
intricate lower levels of the Comstock
lode. There, too, he gained possession of
information that he used afterward to
great advantage.
Under the contract he uncovered num-
Der of ore bodies, Jones made barrel of
money, and mining stock shares recovered
and began to jump about almost as lively
as In the great days of the seventies.
Jones and Rule parted in anger. Rule
claimed that he had not been fairly treat
ed. just before he quit he got an inkling
that there was a body of valuable ore in
the mine and went away without saying
anything about it. About a year later
Jones gave up his contract, claiming that
he had not made anything out of it.
In the eighties the Comstook mines were
again paralyzed for want of ore "flnds.'
Consolidated Virginia was selling for 25
cents share, with a 90 cent assessment
paid. While the market was in this con-
dition Rule made proposition to develop
body or ore in the Gould & Curry mine
for share in the proceeds. He was given
the chance, but it transpired that his body
of orc was not in the Gould Sc Curry, but
in the Savage mine, just over the bound
ary line. The ''find" was enough for the
most disgruntled operators, however, and
stocks began to jump.
After that Rule turned his attention to
gold mining. He was very successful with
the Hurley mine, in Calaveras county,
claim that had long been worked unproft-
ably. He remained there off and on until
the fall of 1898, when the lifelessness Of
Conlstock mining shares again attracted
his attention.
He began to talk about body of ore
that he knew Of in the Consolidated Vir-
ginia mine. He went into details Of his
row with Jones and the reasons why he
had never mentioned the discovery" be-
fore. After several conferences the direct
ors agreed to pay him $4,000 month for
six months and 10 per cent on the value
of all the ore he discovered. The bonus,
however, was not to exceed $4,000 no
matter how large any one body discovered
should be-
Jim Rule went to work with the eyes Of
thousands of stock clippers and specu-
lators on him. The market took an up
ward heave on tho report that Jim Rule
Fad gone up to Virginia City under con-
tract to find another bonanza.
But somehow the discovery" had dis
appeared. The six months waned pain
fully by, and Rule could not find ore aver
aging better than 500 ton. Some people
said that Roger Prendergast, the superin-
tendent who succeeded him with Jones.
had been over the ground and picked out
all the pay rock. Anyhow the directors
and everybody except Jim Rule gave up
the job as hopeless Jim begged for two
months more time, but the managers re-
fused to give him another chance.
Rule never got over the keen dlsappoint-
ment Of his failure 1t always rankled
with him whenever the Comstock mines
We're mentioned From that time on he
was not SO CHEEKY and hopeful, and his
smells Of nnot feeling c..itc we'll, became