The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-11-15
How 4 PROSPECTOR LIVES

AN u " ~ LII LIN
81 undergraduates. IN which man - nos
bount 6cwr By social customs Or Hre1
rules. and tt b lottery. aSerinw big
rrsxes so the winners. The pycspe~tsr
takes his tent blankets. e.rnp OUTFIT tools
and provisions ard with q partner 70
share his laf,crs ard the rsx<rns he To-
cafes. sets out from the hast trading point
into the mountains In Eastern Wash
sngtan and British Columbia he packs his
outfit or horse. which can be bought st
price ranging from 81 to SO. and shns
can take many comforts which ususs Be
dispensed With by the Puget sound pros
r~esor. WHO packs -se~wtsanx On his back.
This radical difference IN conditions r. due.
not 20 the tmposxibsisty OF taking 4 horse
over tbs traits west Of the summit. for
where Q fYzil has been opaae1 alcng the
valleys 81 in usually pasnaele for pack
animals. but 10 the fact that In fsw places
10 there any xrass west Of the summit.
while on the cas-. side II everywhere
aboundx- The oatns consists at ec1eepos.
pans. buckets. plates. cups and spoons. All
OF tin. and iron knives ana forks. a..
shovel. gold pan. For food there are In
yarfsbly bacon and beans. cclYee. sugar.
-four. baking powder. dried fruit. cat
meal. potatoes. salt and pepper. These
articles. bessdes soap. towels and blankets.
are xtowed In gunny sacks. Or rawhide
sadciebagx. which are hung on the horns
OF a pack saddle. The blankets and cent are
spread over the whole pack 10 keep II dry
ana then comes the tickiixh. operation Of
cinchtnx 10 the horse. A broad strip of
CLOSELY woven bempen cloth. with ring
In one end and wooden hook 1T the
other. II paused under the horse body and
rope IN run through hook and ring.
lrf4 - ~
then pulled tight over the horses hack
and tied. TO prevent the pack from shift
ing The packing Of . horse requires
great care and some skill. for X the pack
shifts the animal will stand Still and re-
fuse to proceed try 70 buck the pack on.
roll on the ground and try to rub /, on or
break away altogether and dash wildly
along the trail. scattering hts owners be-
ionginrs behind him. The squaw hitch is
most COMMONLY used In securing = pack.
being simple. easy to learn and easy to re-
member. but old. expertenced mountain
eeers affect the diamond hitch. q compli-
Gated system Of twists difYicuit to learn
and easy 10 forget. but pronounced infai-
iibie by the veterans.
Prospectors are rarely Ia = hurry. IL
start on a trip. and have an invfncibie re-
pugnance 10 starting In q rainstorm. bat
once started they 90 ahead, rain or shine.
until or O'Clock in the afternoon. In
Eastern Washington they usually ride, al
though many prefer 70 walk and drive the
pack horses. for whichever way they
travel they cannot average over four miles
"a hour on trails frequently obstructcd by
logs passing over rock slides and crossing
streams When the time arrives for max
Ing camp. they look out for clear level
spot beside = stream and good grass. IL
they can find two trees at n convenient
distance apart. they cut a notch In the
trunk of each. swing . stout pole between.
resting the ends In the notches and stretch
the tent over n. Failing these natural
tent pote, they cut two with forkssd ends
aud set them Ia the ground. resting the
ridge pole in the forks. The horses are
hoboied. or staked out with long ropes
or are turned loose with a cowbeil on the
heck of one in case they are disposed
TO stray. IRE Is lighted near the tent
door and all hands prepare supper. One
makes baking powder bread and bakes il
over the hre or making . fat cake about
Two inches thick bAkes . dough god" In
the frying pan by holding II in the front
OF the nro and turning the cake as he
would nsp-iack On the Colville reser-
walton Sam Bright picked up an old coal
OIL can and In fwfnkiing cut and bent IL
into the shape Of = Dutch oven, in which
he baked dough gods as good as any hun
gry man need wish 10 eat
Having reached the center Of the dis
trict where they intend TO prospect. the
partners establish permanent camp and
turn the horses loose TO grace In one OF
the lovely mountain meadows, placing A
fence OF poles across the trail 10 prevent
the animals from following their inst.nr-
tive desire 20 return home. Then they
Climb the mountains. armed with picks.
and study the character color ana form,
Y1rf frs ina
erai ledge. Usually Its presence IL be-
ffsyed by red stain caused by the oxida-
ton OF iron on the surface hat often IL In
pure white quarts turned gray by weather
ara moss. and only showing its real ma
ture when broken with the pick II in
rarely that the outward appearance OF a
piece OF rock viii bctray its real value.
TX may shire bright with crystals of py-
rites. nut when sssayed may prove to IN,
worthless. II may merely be stained a
DIRTY yellow. but assays may prove IL To he
worth hundreds OF dollars IN gold: II NAV
De solid mass OF brilliant large galena
crystals. but there will be more silver In
the duilsr-hned gray copper: in short. the
rrestiesf specimens do not come from the
richest ore.
f"rcrunner of Civilization.
Tn" prospectcrs chosen vocation car
f'es him Tar from his feliow-man. with no
ana brings INN into daily intercourse with
nature In her sublime and awful soiitudes.
ne ~ ever seeking new wilds 10 explore
ana conquer and IL tho forerunner the ad-
vante guard. OF the armies OF civilization.
re traces the streams to their source
under the snowfelds and glaciers: he
feariessiy s-ceneS guiches so smooth and
so nearly perpendicular that one misstep
may cause him TO roll from n mountains
summit 90 destruction NJ sfa hasa. n.
scales preriricss which are the walls OF
the mountain goats citadel. he picks his
way over rock slides where the dispiace-
mens OF a single stone may set a catsrse Z
OF rocks in motion to beat him 10 Jelly.
But accidents 20 prosrectors are compare
nvesy rnre. for with cool heads and iron
nerves they regard dangers a. merely the
outcome Of fear and they meet obstacles
only 80 overcome tt~esn. They are the
American counterpart OF the gallant
Swiss. who f'unw hack the armies OF en-
rsrss from their mountain Businesses and
made the Alps a fortress OF freedom amid
the hosts OF Eerore's desposs-
LegeaA ef = Loaf Mac.
The Cascades. like the Rockies ara the
SserrGs have their fsili share az stories %
ieut mines and OF prn~pecsors whc spent
years In vssnly seeking them They are
usually mere traditions transmitted from
month 60 rsscutss. and 80 vs~s~S IN ste
Repetition a. 20 become vague as 20 ssfa~
names and riaca. One cf these relates an
rsrestiy 10 the discovery of roA, hv one
81 = r&rty 90 soldiers. which wen, over fse
fws=p ard csFcsde PASSES rom Fort Gel.
vile 10 Vancouver ahsas the firre of the
lnatsn VAR. TIE story goes that sless-
tenant ard sva rTfvates left the rsata
r&rty west 81 she sursrsls-wsefher the
Twtsn or cascade summit cannot Ne d.