The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-04
on Beats Cornell,
A sURE-ENoUGH WILDCAT MINE What Happened When the Hole Was "Shot" After the Way of Shoot
 ing an Oil We'll

Morning Oregoniah
 Several mining men who chanccd to meet in the office of hotel in this city yesterday were discussing the various mines in certain district in this State when one of them spoke of a wildcat" mine. A logger who was sitting near pricked up his ears at this and chipped into the conversation. He said that there was the most productive wildcat mine he had ever heard of near the logging camp where he had been working on the Lower Columbia.
 One of the mining men remarked that his idea of a wildcat mine was one that yielded nothing but assessments. and asked what this wildcat mine produced.
 Why, wildcats, of course" replied the logger He then proceeded to explain that many years ago some one had run d tun- mel into the side of a hill in search of coal and had run a number of short branches. and had gophered about gen orally fin the bowels of the hill, but. find ing not coal. had finally abandoned the workings. There were wildcats In that section, and the parties who had been prospecting for coal left several cats at their cabin The wildcats and the tame cats had affiliate and had taken up their abode in the tunnel and had increased in numbers.
 Finally a celebrated bear hunter of that region while dressing a bear. discovered the half-closed entrance to the tunnel and thinking that perhaps some wild ami nal might he occupying the place. sent his dogs in to investigate. In few min utes the dogs came rushing out literally covered with wildcats. and bowling like lost spirits. In the dog and cat fight which followed. the dogs were thoroughly whipped. although, as the hunter said. he thought any one of them could have whipped his weight in wildcats.
 While the fight was going on the old hunter took hand to help his dogs. and with his clubbed rife killed twenty-seven wildcats. but they finally showed an h. tention of attacking him when he used the business end of his rife and shot lot moro. The cats were scared at the re. ports of the rife and finally retreated into their hole in the ground. The dogs could not be persuaded 10 enter the tun- mel again, and the hunter did not care to enter himself The cats killed were a curious mixture of the colors of the tame and wildcats. and had tails of all lengths. from the rabbit-like tuft of the genuine wildcat to the elongated narrative" of the domestic Thomas cat.
 Several attempts were made within the next two weeks to clean out the colony ot | cats, but to no purpose, as no dog nor man could be found who dared to go any distance in the tunnel.
 Finally a cold-bIooded scheme was put up on the cats. They were obliged to gc out at night to seek for food, so a man | was dressed up in half a dozen suits ot | clothes no cat could bite or scratch i through. and furnished with severa | giant-powler cartridges and coil o fuse penetrated to the extremity of th' | tunnel
 1 Next day crowd gathered about thu
 entrance of the tunnel. and the fuse wal | lighted. As it burned along into the tun
 mel the flame, smoke and smell of powde
 scared the cats and they began to conn
 out. and as fast as they came in sigh | they were shot down. The shooting ant the dead cats terrified those in the rear
 and they held back till the tunnel wa
 fairly choked with a surging, sduallinE | splitting army of cats, and then tn giant-powder exploded, and several ton | of cats were shot out of the hole. and !
 raincd fur, fiddle strings and cats moa | for the best part of half an hour. l Were there any cats lett' impure | ono of the mining men
 Nary cat" said the logger. Tn
 mine was worked out. and was close permanently with rocks and earth.