The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-24
THE END OF AN OLD MINER.
The Death of Jim Rule, Once the SUI
perintendent of the COmstOcIx.
From the San Francisco Examiner.
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From the San Francisco Examiner.
Jim Rule, known wherever there is
miner on the Pacific slope, is dead.
Rule came to the coast in the early
days with a number Of Cornish miners.
Like many others, his first experience
was with the pick and shovel. He drift
ed into Brown Valley and began work
ing the famous Pennsylvania and Key
stone 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 abandon the Brown Val
ley levels, and Rule went across the noun
tain to the Comstock lode, of which he
had heard Sc much.
At first he worked with pick and shovel
I'm some astute mine boss perceived
that the man had talents for better
things. He rapidly passed from shift
boss to foreman and then to suDerin-
ten1ent one of the first mines he direct
cd was the Lady Bryan, owned by his
brother. John Rule. and William O'Neil
" h en- the LADY Bryan was was laid to rest
found employment with Senator John T.
Jones. Jones owned a lot of mills on the
Comstock. The mines offering them ore
We're rapidly going to wreck. Jones saw
an END to his profitable milling unless he
could stir up business. He conceived a
way out Of the trouble in leasing the
mines and paving the directors so cents
a ton for all the ore he took out In ar
ranging for this work Jones employed
Rule as underground superintendent. 1t
Rule acquired his extensive knowledge
Of the intricate lower levels of the Com
stock lode. There. too, he gained pos
session of Information that he used af-
terward to great advantage.
Under the contract he uncovered a num-
Der of ore bodies. Jones made a barrel
OF money, and mining stock shares re-
covered and began to jump about almost
as lively as in the great days of the '70s
Jones and Rule parted in anger. Rule
claimed that he had not been fairly
treated. q GOT n
linking 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. claim
ing that he had not made anything out
In the sos the Comstock mines were
again paralyzed for want of ore finds. %
Consolidated Virginia was selling for ..
cents a share, with 2}-cent assessment
paid While the market was in this con-
dition Rule made a proposition to develop
q body of ore in the Could q Curry mine
for share of the proceeds. He was given
the chance, but it transpired that his
bOdy Of ore was not in the Gould q Curry
bat in the Savage mine, just over the
boundary line. The find was enough
for the most disgruntled opera tors, how
ever and stocks began to Jump.
After that Rule turned his attention tC
gold mining. He was very successful with
the Hurley mine, in Calaveras county a
claim that had long been worked unprofit-
ably. He remained there of and on until
the fail of 1893, when the lifelessness OF
Comstock mining shares again attracted
his attention.
He began to talk about body of ore
that he knew of in the Consolidated Vir.
GINA mine; he went into the details Of his
row with Jones and the reasons why he
had never mentioned the discovery be.
fore. After several conferences the direc.
tors agreed to pay him 1000 a month foI
six months and 10 per cent on the value
of all the ore he discovered. The bonus
however, was not to exceed $4,000. nc
matter how large any one body discovered
| should be.
Jim Rule went to work with the eyes OF
/ thousands Of stock "chippers" and sDecu.
/ lators on him. The market took an up.
! ward heave on the report that Jim Rule
had gone up to Virginia City under con.
I tract to md another bonanza.
Bul somehow the discovery" had dis
[ appeared. The SIX months Waned pain.
I fully 10y and Rule could not find ore aver.
aging better than $50 a ton Some ueopl,
I said that Roger PrenGergast. the super
[ intendent who succeeded him with Jones
{ had been over the ground and picked Oui
all the pay rock. Anyhow. the director,
! the job as hopeless Jim begged for tive
! months more time, but the managers re
! FUSED to give him another chance
/ Rule never got over the keen aisapDofnt
/ ment Of his failure. 1t always ranllieC
/ with him whenever the COrnstock mine,
! We're mentioned. From that time on n,
! was not so CHEEKY and hopeful. and his
! spells Of mot feeling quite well" becam,
/ more frequent. He returned To the Lon,
| Star mine 1T West Point and with hii
/ partner. Capt. Hurley. devoted all his -.
/ tention 20 trying 70 find pay dirt" on hi.
I own ground
Hardy Upton trying on "a new suit
/ All isaacs has suit looks very credita
/ Die, very creditahlc. indeed,
! Isaacs Oho tailor. oNcitedly)- S'heIllu
/ me GRACIOUS. Dot suit vas holdings O,
| go kindl Dot suit nemcr leafs der store
except ier spot sash.-Puck.