The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-03-14
sHoATS
A MENACE TO
MINERS.

a story told by Jim Mccormack, the So
800 Merchant who was in the city last
week Jim is the leading purVeyor VI
meats in his town, and his tale concerns
little pig. 1,ocou
mack. us located a few miles from 30
nora. and the head of the pipe line whlch
supplies the water to the Tuolumne EIec-
tric Power Company is on the ranch, Inc
rancher raised pigs for while, DuI nc
doesn't any more. About a year ago d
shoat not bigger than good-slzeo cat
did about $500 900 damage to several peo-
ME and pig raising in my section Is now
prohibited. 1t happened this way. Inc
electric power company supplied lgnt 10
the towns of Sonora and Columbia, and
also transmitted power to the RaWhoe
and APP mines. One night that cussed
little rCoter got to prowling around ana
began shooting into the soft banks OF
the water ditch just above the pipe line
that leads down to the power house. The
shOat was an Industrious little wretch,
and about midnight, when things were
lively in town and several hundred men
were working in the mines he succeeded
in getting through the bank. In another
instant the water burst through the break
and the motor at the power house stopped
quicker than you can think about 1t. The
same instant the mines were in darkness,
the poker players in Sonora and Column
bia grabbed for the pots with one hand
and pulled their guns with the other, ana
CONSERVATION prevailed all around. The
pumps at the HOSTS at the RaWhide and
Ann mines stopped work and the men
down below became panic-stricken. The
saiperintendent of the power house could
not imagine what had happened-the
dynamos were all right, no fuses had
burned out-and it was some time before
he learned that the trouble was with the
water supply.
''As soon as possible men were sent up
the ditch to see what was the matter, but
thew went above the place where the
shoat had burrowed through the bank,
and the trouble was not located until the
next day. By that time the lower levels
in the mines were full of water (the min
ers were hauled up by hand during the
night and several days elapsed before
the men could go to work again. Old Cap
Nevills was daffy, and he threatened all
kinds of lawsuits. but the unlucky owner
of the pig Modified him by signing an
agreement never to allow pig on his
ranch. The captain then sought to have
the Board of Supervisors pass a law pro-
hibiting the raising of hogs in the county,
but there were several farmers on the
board, and they refused to comply.
II need pigs in my business, but since
that shoat nearly wrecked the Rawhide
and almost inaugurated wholesale
slaughter in the poker rooms have to go
outside the ditch country to set porkers.
It is limited that the miners look upon the
succulent shoats as a menace to their
lives and property. and they kill them on
sight"
o. o. Howard, a prominent citizen Of
Brooklyn, n. Y, is at the Palace, &C
companied by his wife.
Mrs E. R. Spaulding and Miss Spauld-
ing, of Santa Barbara, were among yes
terday's arrivals at the California.
Judge John D. Bicknell and Judge
James A. Gibson, of Los Angeles, arrived
in this city yesterday and are registered
at the Palace.
Colonel John T. Harrington, Colusa
lawyer; r. c. Terry, Clayton land own
err, and r. Robertson, proprietor of Pa
raise Springs, are registered at the Lick.
Armand Cailleau has returned from a
four weeks business trip to New York
City, made preparatory to the opening
of his new store at 114-116 Kearny street
Mr.. Hugh Boyd, editor and proprietor
of the New Brunswick, N. J., Home
News, is at the Occidental He is one of
the most influential journalists in his
State, and his paper has a large circula-
ton Mr.. Boyd has spent two months in
Southern California, and is charmed with
its climate, scenery and people. He is
sending his publication a series of bright
letters descriptive of his experience here
One of these articles has found it's way
hack to the coast and has been repro
duced by the San Diego papers