The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1896-09-10
THE COLONEL AND HUNTER WE'RE
MAGNATEs FOR A TIME.
Chicago Evening post.)

other day as he shook open his evening |
paper and glanced down the editorial |
notes-confections in journalism
Yes. Are you in the trust, Colonel?" |
asked one Of the men.
II? Not now. / was the whole trust |
one time-Hunter and l."
tom"
Hunter and had the borax markets |
OF the world at our mercy. We were,
for the time, magnates."
THE magnate idea in connection with |
the Colonel" said reflective member |
as he put down the tumbler and signed |
the ticket, doesn't surprise me so much |
as does the fact that he knows anything |
about borax."
How about that borax story, Colonel? |
l guess you will have to tell the boys"
said another.
So the Colonel, having found few con-
fections to his taste, laid aside the pa
per and dropped into the yarn.
1t was in 49, said he. II went to
California with an old friend named |
Hunter, and we put our money into
cattle ranch in Western Nevada. The
range was excellent, the springs were
fine, we had made bargain in our pur-
chase, and we stood to get very rich.
There was about 1000 head of cattle. We
meant to market all the 3-year-olds In
the spring and begin again with the
younger cattle.
WINTER OF THE BIG SNOW.
THE winter of 1873 was the severest
that has ever been known in the noun
tains OF Eastern California and Western
Nevada. Snow kept falling when, / as
sure you, 1t was absolutely useless. We
had enough, and we said so. But more
OF 1t came. The roads were already hid
den, SO 1t leveled up the canons. Pine
trees vanished from sight. Landmarks
that had seemed safe In any season took
white vacations and retired behind the
snow. The valley threatened to fill UP
to the level Of the hills.
1t took all our food to keep the cattle
alive through the winter. And then Same
the spring, and it brought thaw. The
canons were filed with water rushing to
the valley. The valleys were lakes,
emptying slowly to the sea-"
Good" exclaimed one of the auditors.
The Colonel is talking WELL"
BE still, and 1 will buy for you"
The Colonel touched the bell, and the
servitor came.
Our cattle died by the score. They
f1oundered into the soft marshes and
could not get out. We pulled some of
them to solid ground, but they were NOT
strong enough to walk. They died. There
was no grass yet, and the hay was
| gone"
why didn't they eat pie?" asked one,
given to levity.
| $50 stayed there and took care of the
ranch-though there was little en-
enlargement to do anything with it-and
Hunter went down to Reno to try to
make a bargain with some buyer for
pelts. Say, we had more hides than they
had at the stockyards, reckon.
We'll, Hunter went away, and 1 went
around there for about ten days. seeing
his fortune and mine melt with the melt.
| ing snow"
Good!" from the facetious member.
There was nothing but melting snow
and broad expanses of chilly water on
black and rock sagebrush land, and
swamps where the first suggestion of a
pasture tempted our cows, and where
they were mired up to their hooks. Oh.
1t was pleasant!
HUNTER FINDS A GOOD THING.
"One night had just come from pull
ing steer out of swamp, and had lain
down on the bank. removing no more of
my clothes than my muddy boots. and
mad fallen into a deep sleep-for was
very tired-when there was a sound of
hoofs fioundering in the soft ground and
rafting over the pebbles of the dry
ground back Of the shack. I wasn't
much surprised. We had so many in
valid cows about the place they were
likely to clatter over the roof at any
time. But as the seconds passed knew
these were horses hoofs and not the feet
of cattle. Then a man flung himself
from the saddle and said sHohn as a
riding man out West does to the horse
which he wants to stand.
Il got up and met Hunter at the door.
Give me drink he said"
Smart mani" exclaimed the Factions
member under his breath.
He told me he didn't care to hear any
of my tales of woe about the cattle He
had something so good that cattle were
OF no consequence. He had something
better than Government contract. All
night he talked about it.
He had found the borax mines.
his new md was sandy plain with
sagebrush everywhere. It didn't diffe,
an atom from ten million other tracts in
the mountain country. But in the sand
unusually cropping out in white little
marking on the surface, were the clus
tiers of borax. The stuff was little Xix,
bolls of cotton just opened. They
giiste1ed like that. They varied in sizt
| liOhi hdii iuCu u lOuF times that III
diameter. They crumbled easily ard
there was good deal Of sand mixed in
particularly in the outer wrapplngs
But under that and to the center it wa,
pure borax
And there was absolutely no limit t,
the supply.
MARKETED THEIR FIND.
''He knew where there was enough O
! l hA ltYx nj Axrr ILL A. -
stores in Christendom, and all we had t,
, do was go and possess 1t. So we left tn
ranch in charge of the Indian half breed
!. carried all the whisky and blanket
along and promised to be back in Nav.
well, we located a Quarter section
apiece and said nothing. AS the none,
came In from the pelts we bought NOR
land, for 1t was cheap. And then W,
began to get ready for market In tn
middle of our tract was quite a ,arg
lake. Filled with water 1t evaporate,
! and left sediment of salt. The stuf
would be deposited half an inch in thick
ness If the rain was heavy. The sal
was prime In quality and commanded
ready sale among the ranchmen.
But borax! We went to San Fran
! cisco with samples of the stuff, and peo
pie tried to find out where we got it. w
were offered good prices for all we coui
send down crude, and we bought Twelve
team string of mules and hauled tina
stuff to Reno and filled whole trains q
!, boxcars with virgin borax
! fhe money began coming in. Dealer
down there hurried up to our ranch I
see how long the stuff would hold ou
Some prospectors settled down adjoin
ing US, but they couldn't find borax. !
few. of them pitched their tents on tn
land we had bought, but Hunter wen
out one day with a repeating rifle an
! argued with them, and after a Will