Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-10-01


thing else was abandoned and in a
short time under water, which rose
until it was 10 feet deep, and after
three days dropped to six feet, and
after few hours began to rise again
slowly until 10 feet was reached, which
continued with regularity for some
days; first 10 feet of water, then six
feet, then 10 again. They borrowed a
couple of pumps and rescued their
own at low water and started them
ali and pumped until patience and fuel
gave out. No use, still that deadly
rise and fall continued
The Wild Horse Nine and its
owners became a busted outfit. The
bottom was out of the mine and the
owners pockets, for while they had
$4,000 worth of machinery, which, with
the freight overland, had cost them
$4,000, they had no mine and there
was no immediate call for water works
in that section just at that time. So
they came to me with the proposal
that If l would control the water they
would give me a quarter interest in
the mine. At first l refused, for | con-
sidered the stock too well watered to
be OF much use to any one but a stock
broker or eastern tenderfoot, but at
the intercession of the Horton boys,
who gave the Dutchmen credit for be-
ing good, hard-working fellows, who
would be ruined completely unless |
could find way to help them out, l
consented to walk over to their hole
in the ground and take look at the
rather curious feature of a mine that
had tide which rose and fell once
n three days, with a mean variation
o. four feet, and as low water was to
occur that day | started and slowly
walked over with the Horizons and the
Dutchmen.
"As we approached the mouth of the
mine, l noticed dozen or two yards
from the mouth of the shaft, a fine
mountain rill tumbling over the rocks
with fall of about 25 feet. 1t was
about four feet across and a foot or
Is inches deep, and after admiring the
fall few moments | asked Jake, one
of my would-be German partners, why
they had not put up wheel and used
the water power to run their ore
crusher, instead of the more costly
steam engine"
Wont do he replied, 1T will stop
pretty soon and won't run again for
three days. l stared at him with
amazement.
What" l exclaimed, mot run for
three days?"
Yes said he, indifferently, 1T will
stop by 8 o'clock this afternoon l
said nothing more, but determined to
be on hand when it stopped and try
and find out why it stopped. | exam
ined the mine and found things about
as | have already outlined them, and
casually asked Hans, another of the
Germans, when he expected the tide
to commence to rise again, when |
was astonished to hear him say about
8 o'clock and then the water comes
up about three days, then goes down
again in one day. | examined the
tunnel and by aid of my pocket COM
pass determined it's general direction
with reference to the mine and the
stream, and with my pocket rule in
lieu of transit made a rough calcu-
lation, which l kept to myself, sat
down to dinner, after which l spent
an hour or more in examining the last
ore taken from the mine.
about p. m. | climbed the rock
to the brink of the waterfall and found
the hole in the rocks through which
the stream came, few feet back of
where it took its plunge. All there
was to be seen in that direction was
hole the size of a mans body, yet while
| looked the water, which for some
few minutes had appeared to be rapid
ly getting lower, stopped with low
rumbling sound. The show was over.
l turned on my heel and led the anx-
ious Germans back to the Office, and
in Is minutes became the owner of a
one-fourth interest in the Wild Horse
Mine for the usual sum of dollar,
etc, with the condition that l was to
have sole control of the mine for one
year and that my partners were to
take up work at once on the aband
OHeu Iunnel anu run IL HOl eAceeuluB
Zoe feet in any direction l named.
Work on the tunnel commenced the
next day at an angle of 60 degrees to
the right of the former line toward
the stream, but SO feet below the head
Of the fall, and 10 days afterward l
was awakened one morning with the
news from those disgusted Germans
that they had struck water in the tun
mel and could go no further l think
at that moment that l could have
bought the rest of the Wild Horse
Mine for another dollar.
Good said l, and put on my hat.
Good grunted Jake; bad, bad!
tink dot mountains vas what you call
one sponge, amt it?' and with the
three walking dejectedly at my heels
we set out for the tunnel. A nice two
inch stream of water was squirting
from the face of the rock. To make
long story short, plugged that hole,
loaded it with 80 pounds OF powder