The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-05-07

"I Could See the Candle Flicker"
out of their claims. In the other days
l speak of, when a man struck it rich
he went out OF the cauSeway and pro-
claimed his great luck. He spent all
his money in adding to the general
joyousness of the camp, and made no
bluff at work until his ear for in
ducing celebration were wholly eX-
ha1seed.
Nearly all the bonanza strikes have
been made by accident. There was
Adams famous luck over in the San
dia range. Adams said he was q de-
scendant of the family that had S 0
many presidents and signers of the
Declaration In it. l always set him
down for a liar-he came from Elgin,
Ill. He was invariably making this
Declaration of independence play
when he should have been doing as
sessment work. This mans name was
John Quincy Adams-same as the last
president Of the name-and he never
let you go to sleep in ignorance of the
fact. Why Providence should pick out
such a mar to shower favors on l new
er could imagine. 1t was his idiotic
carelessness that made him a pluto
crat. ANY man with a morsel of sense
would have never have got rich as he
did. he was always prospecting
around In the most unpromising spots.
He packed a iack-load of plumber with
him, pans, and picks, and shovels and
powder, besides his grub. One day he
was projecting around the Sandia hills,
thinking he was looking for float. and
letting his heart swell with family
pride. He had his haversack slung
over his shoulder. and among other
truck in it We're ten or twelve cartridg-
es for blasting. His magnifying glass
lay at the top of the bag. Adams sat
down against a rock to rest. And the
glass focused the sun so that it set
fire to the canvas bag. Adams said
subsequently he made the quickest
play of his life in getting from under
that haversack strap. He hit one ridge
and landed forty rods away behind an
other rock. He had Just reached COW
er, and. bling went off his blasting pow
der. Adams vent back, out of the
ldleSt curiosity. to see what kind of q
hole 1t had made. He found the rock
he had leaned against scattered at
large over the face of the earth. The
MAVERICK had fallen INTO n sort of crew
Ice at the foot, and the explosion had
hfted everything into the air. Among
other things, it opened a vein of free
milling ore running $500 to the ton.
nat mar Adams sold a tenth interest
Tor Sl0.0oO. 1t was worth ten times as
much, but he decided money for deyel-
oplnent. He made more than a mill
lon, and they are working at the vein
yet. Adams is blooding it back in
Massachusetts. He bought some of
the nrnnaTfy of fho aII fa-.r- -
and, naturally, gilded and vanished It
He says the Adamses are on earth for
the second time"
Il never let fewer than three mon
work in one of my mines" said an
owner of property in the Clear Creek
district. at may he an idle notion.
but / have been haunted by the idea
that l cGme near committing nun.
der of the most cold blooded character.
a few years ago. If there had been
three of us, instead of two partners.
the thought would never have come TO
me, and / wouldn't have the bad
dreams that disturb me occasionally
l have neve since put myself in Il no
sition where a possible homicide would
no have at least one witness. | will
not work alone with another man in a
mine.
Il got my start up in Farncomb Hill
Jim Souther was my partner. We
a fairly-good claim: nothing of the
man in its nature. Just a good,
honest, ounce-and-a-half or two-ounce
proposition that beat day wage by ii
only. There is one thing about
tafncomb Hill-that is, its uncertain
~. You never know what the next
waliop with the pick or the next shot
with a cartridge will ncove South
er was down i'll the hole and ] was on
n wlndlass hosting the buckets lie
hlled with ore. We had a soft thing,
so FAR as labor was concerned. and
could almost shovel the ore up. 1t was
Il soft tale. a cross beteen chalk and
putty. | got a bucket at last-along
about 2 in the afternoon-that weighed
like q ton. l could scarcely lift it.