Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-01-31


of saloons. the latest books and maya
zines and. above all. the gigantic
pieces of mining machinery in the
mines and mills-when one thinks that
every article has been dragged over
those roads, he is lost in wonder that
any of them should be here at all.
Naturally enough. thirty-odd miles
Of freighting adds to the expenses of
living. Flour. butter. potatoes. sugar
all staples cost more than in the
cities. Sometimes, in fall and spring.
when the roads get very bad it will
take the freighters an Unexpectedly
long time to make the trip. Such de-
lays often bring famine to Republic.
Sometimes sugar will run short;
sometimes butter famine will ensue.
The following week butter will be
everywhere in quantities and coal oil
will become the impossibility of the
moment. A year ago last fall, before
the electric plant was running, the
whole town was lit with candles for a
week or more.
When the freighterS are thus Strug
Cling with the bad roads, the daily
stage comes in for its share of trouble.
II has delays of hours, although it
manages to get through by extra
horses, even if day late. The queS-
ton anxious passengers used to ask
themselves in former Western days of
"hold-up or no hold-up?" has given
way to that of good or bad roads,"
Indeed. in other points than this has
the old regime of bullets and bad men
been ousted by a more civilized condi-
ton.
The mining camp of today is paSsa-
bly, orderly; life and property in rea-
sonable security. Hold-ups do occur
now and then; shooting affrays-"gun
| pla ys''-take place occasionally, but
| TIE members of the community see to
il that an order of things which
threatens their lives or pocketbooks
| does not obtain foothold. D3nce
| halls, gambling. women and drunken
ness are permitted, and these are
virtually impossible to eradicate in
| mining camp. But the business men
and mining men who have their
| money invested do not allow matters
like murder and robbery to get head
way, as we'll from sound business mo-
| tives as from those of self-security.
| In our Republic camp there has been
| only one man shot in the last year, al
though a curious shooting affair did
| occur some weeks ago. Two prospec
tors got into quarrel about = claim.
| Presumably unarmed at the time.
they separated, swearing trouble. At
eight o'clock that evening they came
| in sight Of each other on the main
| street of the town. one supplied with
| a Winchester rifle opened fire from the
| middle of the road on the other stand
| ing in saloon door and armed with a
long barreled Colts revolver. The
| street was crowded at the time, the
busiest of the evening. The men We're
now separated at twenty PAGES They
| fired seven shots. The extraordinary
| point was that neither hit the other
| nor anyone else. either on the street or
| in the surrounding buildings. although
| every place was crowded. The bullets
| We're found in saloons and stores
| nearby, while one went on fifty yards
down the street to a more distant
gaming house. The men We're fined
500 each the next morning. and it was
a generally accepted doctrine that they
| should have got another hundred each
! for not shooting straighter.
This incident would point to the fact
that the present day prospector is not
SO formidable a shot as Deadeye Dick
of thirty years ago. Indeed the pres
ent day prOSpector as seen about the
streets of Republic appears to be more
concerned with putting his claim than
III watching his gun. Let us walk up
the street and talk to one of them a
moment; but remember, Fastener,
| M &c ha
try in the world, and that a prospector
is as good as you are and rather bet
| terror you are an Fastener.
We approach hairy individual.
leaning against the Butte saloon. He
is chewing tobacco with a certain slow
dignity. He impresses us as looking
resolute and dirty. When you get to
know him better you will find he is a
pretty good sort of fellow. with many
primitive virtues and all the vices.
We'll. how're they coming?" l ask
as we stop beside him.
"Oh. They're stacking up pretty
good. My partner and me was work
ing some last week on them Bear
Creek claims. You know them. Ell?
By. they're good ones. Look at that!
HoWs that for pretty rock?"
He digs a bit of stone out of his
pocket and hands it to us: THAT runs
$3.50 to the ton, and we're only down
ten feet
Got much of that I ask.
We'll. there amt such a h of n
lot of that there stuff, but a good
average assay'll run so or $12. We've
got a ledge four feet wide and she's
going to be a wonder. We're going to
have another lie Roi there before we
get through. We wouldn't take $40. 900
for her as she stands. No by, S1O,-
900 wouldn't look at her.
The property our friend spoke of
comprised. as | knew. two fair looking
claims, with a little low grade ore in
sight. Present value, on the chance
of it getting better, perhaps $500 But
SO 1t is with many prOSpectorS. There
is no more visionary man, and let him
get any kind of a showing at all on
his claim he Straightway becomes pos
seSSed of the idea that he has one of
the great mines of the world. His
head filled with thoughts of famous
mines, he asks hundred times the
value of his claim. Sometimes he
| never makes Il sale: sometimes he
holds the claim until he gets hard up.
! when he becomes more omen to reason