New-York tribune., 1899-03-26

,oipte And he answered me back; we "cic
used to throw 'em into the bay but they stoppeu
ne on account Of film up the harbor, ana no"
we sends 'em back to the bottling worKs u po
reGlled We get two cents for them
when | got my cousins letter, spent ''e
night laying out my plans, and the very "oN'
morning. bcin' a man Of action, pes "
carry them out. ] got me a barrow anu "'"'
over the town collectn bottles, and ie'cheu
,cn, TO me residence in the tunnel and stacheu
,or, nm inside. about twenty feet back "e"'
h.vs the pile got so big that it Ike 10 cro"uVu
me ont entirely, for went to every place III
town that sold beer and asked them 10 saw
mo the bottles and | swept out theH pOD
and washed windows and did al sor's oi Jo'e
for them. so they would do IT, And was c"''O
.Crazv Mike Frequently man "ou'" '''' '
Don't YOU know, you loonatc, lhd' julio
worth only two cents in Omaha ana II "ou'u
coe, four cents to get 'em there" But 10 d''
s,ch saws. Leave me be- I'm mere lor "'
health ,hor,
.put very well knew | couldn't get 'he''i
bauIcd out by the freight-tcams. "a pce"
every one of them fellows, and 'heH d"
ca ont empty sooner than load up WIN o''"p
freight So keeps on piling up 'he po''''',
I had 10 pull down the stack ana pes" w.
hook al the end of the tunnel to get fho'c i0''''
And I became quite the celebrated ch"'"
that town I've been mentioned III 9''''
the preacher saying: Let us be ialt"lu'
ideals. as the beer-bottle man Is 10 h'9 '''
the tourists they had to have a looh a' '''' "
nv stack Of bottles in the tunnel lo' ''0
nlc said: You mustn't go away "i'hou' See''e
our bottle-mad man. He is unique
..rbo town continued to prosper ana 10 o'''"
hoor ONLY one mine the Homestake, was pay
;o, big but there were lot of sood prospects,
and nov and again some fellow would s'rlhe
rich nocket and take out gold enough III u"s
20 cuit on And it kept everybody hopeiu''
ui,bout neelecting my business took IessohS
in mining and | learned what they mean y!
.saItinc a mine And felt sorry that the o'u
Iad, nv former employer, was dead 50 ''"'
7 couldn't let her know, too. And learned '""'
tho enarhawk Mine never had struck any ore "'
all lint was lust run into the hill on venture
lito Won might fire your gun into "a leaiy tree
on the chance tina, squirrel might be ma IN
Tho branches and mebbe you'll hit him.
.r ken, nv ewes open and took pointers wher-
over | could get them, and 10y the time Ia bech
a wear in the Hills / knew about all that was 10
be learned in that department. so partly to prac-
tiso nv knowledge. and partly to make more
roam to store bottles began to dig. Not down
in the far end. which was blocked with po'tIes'
but about halfway from the entrance IN d
place where the rock looked soft, star'eu
drift IN the side Of the tunnel.
",,rvas SLOW work on account of me putting
in euch small blasts so as not TO shake up the
bottles.
..But it's all luck in mining, and only got IN
= few feet before / struck "A pocket OF the real
stu0 II was rich. Just a hunk Of soft rock
and all fun Of the shiny flakes OF pure metal
or course I considered the mine my own mo
bcuc in possession for so long a time put' not
having the papers for it, ! worked rather prl-
vate. rounding the rich pieces of quartz III
mortar and washin' out in the stream at the
bottom Of the canyon. | did my milling ana
washing at night pursuing my regular business
by day. and ere long had beer-botte iul OF
eold-and another, and another And was
only working tho richest Of IT, and no sign of the
pocket pctern' out.
IT was great day for the Hille when the
railroad come in. There was a celebration and
speeches and beer run like water. l had TO
hire some boys 10 help me gather the bottles
That was the last lot / got BY next day people
had woke UP 10 me. The railroad bcin' in, bot
ties was the same as cash and bottles riZ They
called me Crazy Mike no more. well knowing
had a million OF 'em slowed away N the
tunnel BcinG as ] said man Of action,
sold my bottles at once by wire to the works
at Denver. But my troubles was not over. for
when come to see the agent about shipping he
told me that empty bottles not being on the
schedule he would have to bill en- as glass
double first class. and the highest rate of all
| told him the road a hog, and hc allowed
that most Of the stock was owned in Chicago.
made bluff to hold on few years TIL an
other road came in but something happened