The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-27
GEOLOGICAL "REMINISCENCES.
SENATOR JONES TELLS How THE WOLVES OF THE MINING
LODES PLAYED ROUGH GAMES.

WOODEN shirt ana pretending to his friends
that he was searching for employment.
he soon got the name of the Ursa Major,
ana every time pump-rod broke, a shaft
caved IN or q fire occurred in the mines
1t was good day for Kelley's stock &C.
e epud put beyond this he was a very
shreWd miner, as was pretty well demon
strated at the time Jim Fair invited the
experts to inspect drift in one of his
mines. The face of the drift seemed to be
all In good ore, but Kelley figured out if 1t
was such good thing Fair Wouldn't be
inviting in the outsiders. He went to the
surface dilating on the future prospects of
the mine, but he was the only one who
mad sense enough to short the stock, and
as he wore an old shirt and didn't indulge
IN a shave for several weeks afterward /
figured that he must have cleared up about
$780, The stock went down with a
rush when the drift struck porphyry and
the boys always said Kelley smelled it.
He certainly had great nose for por-
phyry.
There were no flies on Warren Sheridan
as mining OPERATOR" said Billy Wood.
AT the time when the Comstock was
booming and they had man for breakfast
every morning Sherry was regarded as one
OF the smartest and smoothest quick-turn
sure of inside information he accepted
situation as miner in the Savage
mine. 1t used to be the custom
IN those days to keep news of the
big ore strikes from the public, and
when one was made, the mining su perrin
tendent used to send down provisions and
mattresses and keep the miners imprisoned
Tor twenty-four hour. so that they could
not get to the surface and give their friends
the tip. When the boys dropped on this
proposition they used to give orders for
stock as soon as they saw the mattresses
and the grub going down the shaft, but after
few of them had got badly bitten time
or two they made up their mind that
this system of playing with stocks lacked
the essential features of reliability, as the
superintendent would occasionally send
down the grub and mattresses when they
struck porphyry; but Warren Sheridan,
who always kept his eye peeled for the
main chance, was laying for something
that was positive.
HE carried little bottle of emetic in
his pocket, and one night he saw blast
disclose some ore that was fairly fat with
wealth. He knew that inside of five
minutes, the order for mattresses would go
to the surface. He accordingly took his
emetic, and in few minutes was Writhing
in pain and showing all the symptoms of
severe case of nausea. He begged to be
taken to the surface that he might die in
the bosom of his family. They sent him
up on the quick hoist, and the mans
groans of pain would have melted the
stoutest heart. He was put in an express
wagon and when he. got home and
put to bed, his wife, who was dead onto
the scheme, filled the place with iamenta-
lions, and said it was another one of his
heart attacks, and begged of them to get
doctor as soon as possible. She cleared
the house in short order, sending
each soma man for +ha d different S.. doctor sbn
Sherry hustled on his store clothes and
struck out for his broker by way of the
back window, where he lined up the stu
alton in short order. By the time
the doctors got around Sherry was back
in bed and calling for lawyer to
come and make his will. The order to buy
reached San Francisco early in the morn
ing and Sherry caught a few thousand
shares at bedrock rates in the morning
board. Sherry and his broker cleaned up
about 100000 on the deal, and when the
Savage manipulators found out the big
order that got in ahead of them, they rec
ogniZed the fine Spencerian hand of Sheri-
dan. They laid for him to get even, and
after he went back to work they iobbed
some information on him and broke both
him and his broker.
''One morning when he came down to
his mine with his dinner bucket they ad
vised him to 60 on the stage and work his
Qeabn scene IOT the DeDeDC OF the PUBIC.
Sherry smole faint smile and walked off.
He was never allowed to swing pick again
in the Savage. He got so that he
never could speak of the most common
occurrence without using mining lingo,
and once when he was at a coroner's in
quest he described seeing man
fall down the Con. Virginia shaft, wind
ing up his testimony with the remark
AS soon as l saw him fall through the
opening l knew he was good short. He
porting some new mines for Jim Brazil
and H. M. Levy, and thinks he has struck
another Comstock."
Speaking of slick work in stock" said
General Roberts, addressing Senator
Jones, "do you remember the time 1
charged you $1,000 for your Senatorial BAN
| quet in the Arlington House, Carson
| City?'
II think do" replied the Senator, with
slight smile.
Ibid you think it was an overcharge?"
continued Roberts, with broad grin.
81 never dispute bills of that kind, said
| the Senator, "but my local agent informed
me that he thought you got about $500
the best of me-"
"Maybe l did, temporarily" said Rob-
| erts, "but plunked the whole wad into one
of your Grown Point deals, and inside of
| thirty days lost every cent of it,"
"Guess the champagne Is on you," said
Lon Hamilton and after the great silver
advocate had divided a couple of quart
bottles among the crowd somebody said
that it was half-past l and they dispersed.
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