Milford chronicle., 1895-12-06
lie gNp oF an Oh MINgR.
The Death Of Jim Rule, Once the super
intendent Of the Comstocl.

The Death OF dim Asulel Once the super
intendent Of the Comstock.
Jim Rule known wherever there is
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. Tie drined into
Brown valley and began working tho
famous Pennsylvania and keystone mines.
There he began developing those talents
for underground mining That afterward
brought him fame and wealth. Water on
the over levels forced the owners to aban-
do the Brown valley levels, and Rule
went across the mountains to the Com
stock lode Of which he had heard so much.
At first be worked with pick and shovel
till some astute "mine boss perceived
that tho man had talents for better things.
He rapidly passed from "shift boss' to
foreman and then to superintendent. One
of the first mines no 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 lot
of mills on the ComstoclS. Tho 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 tho trouble in
leasing the mines and paying tho directors
so cents ton for all the ore he took out
In arranging for this work Jones employed
Rule as underground superintendent. 1t
was whilo engaged in this work that Rule
acquired his extensive knowledge Of the
intricate lower levels Of tho Comstock
lode. There, too, he gained possession Of
information that he used afterward TO
great advantage
Under the contract be uncovered q num-
Der Of ore bodies. Jones made a barrel of Z
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 1
claimed that he had not been fairly treat |
ed. just before no quit he got an inkling /
that there was body Of valuable orc In /
the mine and went away without saying \
anything about It, About year later
Jones gave up his contract, claiming that
no had not made anything out Of It,
In the eighties the Coinstock mines were
again paralyzed for want Of ore "fnds. y
Consolidated Virginia was selling for % /
cents a share with a 20 cent assessment
paid. While the market WAS in this con
dtipn Rule made a proposition to develop
o body OF ore in the Gould & Curry mine
Tor a share in the proceeds. Ho was given
the chance, but Il tralspired that his body
Of ore was not in the Gould & Curry, but
in the Savage mine, just over the bound
AIRY line. The find was enough for the
most disgruntled operators, however, and
stocks began 10 jump.
After that Rule turned hls attention to
gold mining. He was voHE successful with
the Hurley mine, in Calaveras county, q
1laim that bad long been worked unprotlt-
ably. He remained there Off and on until
the fall Of 1893 when tho lifelessness of
Gomstoek mining shares again attracted
bis attention.
He began to talk about body Of ore
that he knew Of in the Consolidated Virs
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
prs agreed to pay him $4,000 a month for
six months and 10 per cent on the value
Df oil the ore he discovered. Tho 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
'HoNaffAAa Va nNtAh NAAlllAa anu EH1lu-
ators on him. The market took an up
ward heave on tho report that Jim Rule
lad gone up to Virginia City under con
Tact to find another hQnppza
But somehow the ssdiscoye.y" had dis
appeared The six months waned pain.
ully by, and Rule could not find or0 aver
iging better than $50 q ten. Some people
aid that Roger Prendergast, the superin-
endopt who succeeded him with Jones.
rad been over the ground and picked out
II the pay rock Anyhow the directors
md every body except Jim Rule gave up
he job as hopeless. Jim begged for two
months more time, but the managers re-
used to give him another chance
Rule never got over the keen disappolnt-
mont of his failure, 1t always ranked
With hiu whenever the COmstock mines
we're mentioned. From that time on he
vas not so CHEEKY and hopeful, and his
pells Of ''pot feeling quite well' became
aore frequent. He returned to the Lone
tar mine, at West Point, and with his
artner, Captain Hurley, devoted al his
ttention in trying to find 'pay dirt on
is own grQund.-San Francisco Exam
per-