New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-25

ar drink These miners lived in rude cabins with
stone drepIaces and mud-plastered chimneys.
They went clad the year round in dunsaree
"pants" gray shirts and cOwskin boots Inc
foothin climate makes no great demand on the
clothing store. although men 50 dressed i've III
sight of the eternal snow on the higher Sierras'
five or six thousand feet above them ana nun
drcd miles away.
Ono dav q Pointer" an old sailor from Bos-
ton named Jones, who had dug and drunk up
three or four small fortunes concluded to pros
pect a streak OF gravel few inches III thick-
ness left at the base of the Point companys
worked-out bank. which was twenty-five or
thirty feet in height and perhaps as far above
the river Jones dug a painful, washed 1t ana
found gold-about a bit prospect. He dug
little deeper into the mountains base, found
more and discovered that the hard, blue granite
ledge pitched downward instead OF rising ana
barring his progress. He found the gravel
streak growing wider and richer as he advanced
In a week Jones and his comrades knew they
were once more rich men, They had struck an
old river channel. From their coyote mole
was taken out as much forty ounces day
How did they improve the opportunity when
fortune had once more flung to them? They
proceeded at once to celebrate, buying Whiskey
by the barrel and drinking ii by the pint In a
years time one had been drowned, another htd
died OF delirum tremens. a third had killed MS
wife and fed the country. Eventually, shre"u'
patient individual. who had been there from the
first Of the "strike." bought up the seVera'
claims for sums ranging from 5000 to $1,000
He went to work systematically. and in two
years time he had in his pocket S2ooooo
Old Jones. the Boston sailor did not share the
total ruin of his three partners. After he had
sold out all title to his wonderful discovery. he
stayed there contentedy rocking" his dollar
or dollar and a half day. just as he had done
before the great find" He excused his business
righteousness in selling out by saying that
1t was too much money for him to have any
thing to do with 1t cost Jones yearly about ~
for clothing: 500 fed him. and the remainder
of his earnings went to help the distilleries
and the Internal Revenue tax whiskey and
tobacco
"Crevcing" was hot hard work. Gold in
seams was often found twenty-five or thirty
feet below the level of the river. The men
worked in steep. rugged. narrow canyons
where it was difficult to obtain a foothold-
where there might not even be bit of rock
sufficiently level on which to deposit the pan
with its precious contents Tom Scott was a
tough why little man. Of an impulsivc dispo-
sition. One hot California summer day he had
worked. scraped, Iried, swept and busted, ana
thereby accumulated PAINFUL Of dirt which ne
felt would pan OUT richly. miner often
feels in his bones whether his luck VIII be
good or not: Thomas felt this and a great deal
more in his bones for in order to get at TINS
crevice he had been obliged all day to resolve
himself into a deformity. and bone and sinew
protested against it. Just ne was withdraw
ing his last spoonful Of yellow mould he heard
a metallic Gathering over the rocks. He turned
al looked; there was pan. dirt. days work ana
all sliding down those steep banks into the river
The pan dived from the rocky edge into the
deep still waters Of the canyon; it disappeared
and then all was quiet as before. All. that u.s.
save Thomas Scott. who. starting. seized his
crowbar and hurled it as near as possible into
the rippes of the sinking pan. saying:
There, you may well go and keep the pan
company"
The setting sun fingered for moment at the
western mouth of the canyon with broad grin
on his countenance. and one Disguised man. less
his implements for crevicng, cambered over
the rocks and along the steep edges, home to
his lonely supper