The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-22
EARLY MINING ON THE COAST.
why the Barkeeper's Pay Was
Ghused by the Size OF His Finger
and Thumb

Why the BHrkeeper's Pay WINS
G"used by the Size OF His Finger
and Thumb.
From the Butte Inter-Mountain.
Gathered in and around Butte are men
VINO have mined In almost every country
under the sun, but although charming
conversationalists in the society Of their
friends, for some unaccountable reason
they become suddenly dumb when an
proached by a newspaper man. 1t was a
reporters luck yesterday to run against
one who talked In an interesting way. He
was q large, rather fine-lookfne man an
paIehtIy ABOUT ~ years of age. and a
man who had watched with close inter-
est the progress Of mining on the Pacific
coast since the historic days of -
yes, was out in Calforny in the OH
days, he replied to a question and flss.
added with pleasant smile II was fHat
from 40 to 'S9 and took ali the eouf-sgs,
from pan to little giant and from hand
mite.
when gold was discovered by Marshall
IN that tail race Suffer was digging for
ms saW-mlu at Coloma, not a man in
that country knew n thing about mining
Never heard how they knew IL was srold
neyE we'll there has been great many
one. 1t was a little nugget Marshall nf9iFs
ed up, worth three or four dollars Each
one Of the gang looked at it, bit it, tasted
had a clear idea what 1t was Several
thought 1t might be gold, but none was
sure sure OF IT, a happy thought struck Mar
snail. Mrs. Weber boarded the hands. She
was making soft soap from pine ashes
I'VE: Marshall proposed the lady Should
boil the nugget in I've day or two end in
u ai t I change color or lose its substance
n the test II was sure-enough gold Well.
It stood the test. The world knows the
rest.
Among the first on the ground was
a hat NJ
ana lower class of humans. God knows
they were all low enough but the cross
was no improvement on the general run
OF the cattle. The greaser brought his
willow-made pan and knife as his mining
toOlS. de cut and scrdped among crew
ices of rocks at the waters edge for
'chispas, or, as we call them, nuggets
An enterpriging white man made a rock
err That was great Improvement over
the willow pan and knife. In the fall of
~ DICKS shOVelS, iron pans and sheet
iron for rocker screens had been shipDed
IN from the outside. Rockers sold for
three ounces, shovels half an ounce
apiece, picks the same; pans for a quar-
ter OF an ounce; gum boots an ounce a
pair, and whisky a pinch a drink That
was the price IN mining camps pinch
was what a barkeeper could take be-
tween his forehnger and thumb. They
had big fingers and thumbs in those DAYS
and a barkeeper's salary was measured By
their size. Wages was an ounce a day
THE Georgia bumper displaced the
rocker. II was something like a rocker
but much larger, and had several riff
fies' TO catch the gold The ends Of the
rockers bump against blocks Of wood 10
jar the gravel IN the screen, and between
rifles. A bumper cost 800; a wheelbar-
row two ounces and a China pump SO
That made q bumper mining outfit The
bumper didn't last long, for the Long
Tom soon took its place. That was 4
stationary affair with long screen in
which the pay dirt was thrown Water
was conducted on the screen, the wash
falling through the perforations, while
one Of the hands forked out the rocks or
small stones
"A sluice or two were added to the Tom
These. a. well as the Tom, were supplied
with rifles which generally caught about
all the dust. Long Toms were first used
IA Nevada City In 1850 improvements IN