New-York tribune., 1902-07-13
MINER AND HIS HEADWORK
EXAMPLES OF THE ADIRONDACKS TAN
IDERMISTS ART IN MANY y
RICH CAMP
.'Here. Pincher. behave yourself.. :.

Here, Pincher. behave yourself"
AT the command Pincher, H. H. Miners Dig
mastif half turned back to his task Of worrying
a couple of newly caught squirrels yet without
relaxing his suspicious, surveillance of Tribune
reporter who had just entered the yard In saranac
Lake. and, in fact, throughout the Adirondack re-
gion. there is only Miner-Mlner. the taxideT-
mist; the who remakes animals the New-York
hunters kill. And happy indeed is that owner OF
Adirondack Mountain lodge who, when he ushers
a guest into his "Cosey'' dining room, can truth
fully say. pointing to head crowned by wide
spreading anters. THAT head. oh, yes that's one
took up here in the woods-let's see what year
that? Oh, 1 know-'97- 1t struck me as worth
keeping, 1 had Miner fix 1t up"
It takes a deal of practice to say that right. \
has TO be something OF an actor to get the
right air. the correct and that manner from
which every atom Of interest has apparently been
extracted.
In fact, modesty. whether real or the aduterated
article is essential qualification OF a sportsman
And Miner-the man who has meet many
sportsmen. whose job it is to restore what men
have destroyed. and whose mission ii is to satisfy
the critical has to be the very acme of mod
esty. His house his shop. his manner, all in
keeping with this rule a small plain. wooden
structure labelled III. Fl. Miner. TaXidermst," con-
stitutes his shop, and his house adjoining is cor
respondingy plain. Both out about two miles
from the village of Saranac Lake.
"A short walk some one in Saranac Lake said
and The Tribune reporter fooshly believed what
he was told. IN the Adlrondacks a short walk
means something like trip from the Battery 10
Harlem.
But it wasn't so bad, after all There was
plenty of pure air birds and trees and real natural
life, if the day hot
oh yes! Well. I'm glad TO see you said MI
Miner he drove Pincher away from a box of
squirrels he had been opening, paic the country
lad who brought them and adjusted his spectacles
"Come in and he led the way to his workshop.
Yes I've been at this work quite a while Let's
see about twenty-five years altogether Haven't
any very big heads under way just at present
Here's pretty good one, though" he added, as
he stepped out Of the main shop and opened the
door of the dryrCom
THAT head there" he said, pointing into ;he
blackness, lis I'm putting up for J. y. Robins.
the Erie Basin man. you know. He has camp
here Loon Lake. The head taken IN
Canada, and the antleTs have a spread OF feet
tnches-pretty good sized head"
The reporter stepped forward 10 be met by a
blast of hot air laden with odor that could
give sewer gas hundred yard start and overtake
1t on the third quarter. Inside the dryroom'
which low, cramped and dark, a sheet iron
stove blazing away, and about the walls We're
hung heads Of larger animals. whole bodies Of
smaller ones, fish and birds. all of them looking
funny enough. stitched this way and that, across
the back. up the front and down the sides a yerta
Bile network of threads and staying pins. Con-
-picuous among them the big moose head tho
nostrs and ears plugged with plaster of paris and
wisps of excelsior stuf1ns sticking out from the
unfinished neck.
Every particle of animal matter has been taken
out. you know said Mr.. Miner. explaining the
hollow sound following the rap OF his knuckles on
sor. make il light possible. on, it'll take
that about three weeks To dry. y deer head will
dry IN eight or ten uays, but a moose head takes
longer. BIRDS dry in few days.
said Mr.. Miner. Why, 1t was one did for Louis
THOMPSON; Of Red Bank. n J. Yes. he has a
aSSs dan and ead the naa2 had Of t
See that nsh up there Mr. Miner asked. as he
t9r.ed TO the door, pointing over into one corner
or the dryroom. where monster fish appeared to
be doing his best 10 swim of board mount
In Canada. He belongs down here the Saranac
club II weighed forty-hve pounds and it measures
The present is not an ext>cmely active time for
big work. The law on deer isn't Off until Septem-
ber Then the hunters begin to send in their ami
ma mi heaas 10 De mounted. ana then Mr. Miner has
an ne can 90 10 Keep up with the demands upon
half hour spent in that little Adirondack shoA
is equal TO weeks study in natural history ON
an SIDES, suspended from the walls dangling from
the ceilings and perChed dusty shelves beneath
the benches are animals of all descriptions. great
ana % small IN the diherent stages Of restoration TO
dark corner huge black bear glowers at one with
gambong up and down the spine. Up on arti-
opened mouth. from which you can almost hear the
angry snarl, low crOuching figure and tensey
bison head rises abruptly from the floor a stuffed
fox fox looks at you out Of suspicious, cunning eyes,
big moose spread their antlers above you. not al
iONhlS your appearance 10 interrupt for
instant that never ending dream OF theirs-Of rocks
and trees and running waters. Of those davs when
they roamed the Adirondack wilderness at will
come down and see feed my Specked beau
tles, said Mr.. Miner, and the party. Mr.. Miner
his two children, Pncher and the reporter started
On. yes they eat meat" explained Mr.. Miner
Never tried them on bear meat before
Down, PIT ler,' as the big dog, Vexed at the
seeming discrimination in favor OF the fish, at
tempted to assert his rights
NOW you watch! said Mr. Miner, when the
party finally stood the edge of a tny rock
walled pool In the rear Of the barn. The surface
S ~aS as siSoth as glass and there was not visible
miles. ~ eu
Mr.. Miner steadied himself on the rock wall
poised his wooden platter OF bear meat and threw
two or three pieces out into the centre. For
second everything was calm. Then there was
ripple, n nash of brown. and the bear meat was
gone. MI Miner threw in pieces. in an in
stant the water was alive. Great speckIed trout
o. the meat and darting below with them fghtiny
each other for the choicest bits even leaning ont Of
the water in their excitement. While the meat
lasted the water OF the pool in constant mo-
II guess they like bear meat after all said
MT. Miner as he shook the last bits off the wooden
platter and turned to the house
mo; never catch EN-" said Mr.. Miner 81 lust
thirty in there
In practically all of the big camps and lodges Of
leading NeW-f orkers in the Adirondack region eX-
amples of Miners handiwork are to he foInd He
has moose and deer heads In the elegant lodge oP
Dr. W. Seward Webb in the camp Of the R6cke-
fellers at Brandon, and in that of A a Low
brother OF Mayor Low. In practically all the
camps about the Upper St Regis heads finished
by him TO be found. nota bic among them beins.
those in the camps of l. n. Seligman. o. H. Kahn
and A P. Stokes.
HOTEL CHILDWOLD