The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-02-21
ROMAhCES
Of MINING
Mrs. Chas. B. DYKE
Relates the
Stories.
ANGELS CAMP AND
OTHER SCENES
How She Found a Lost Town
in the Sierras and the
Result.

n ERS. Charles Bartlett Dyke of Ka-
H mehameha school gave an inter-
A'A esting twenty-minute talk yester-
day afternoon at the Young Wonen's
Christian Association on Some Ro-
mances of Gold Mining" in which her
personal observations of several of the
old mining camps in California. Ne
vada and Colorado, made famous by
Bret Harte and other writers, played
the important part. She said the ro-
mantle side of mining camps has never
been more aptly or picturesqueiy de-
picted than by Bret Harte- His Luck
of Roaring Camp" the one which
brought him more fame than any other,
nearly brought about dissolution be-
tween him and his publishers. because
the young lady proofreader almost re-
fused to read the story, saying there
were features in IL which she thought
were decidedly immoral However. the
story was published and the author
made his mark. Mrs. Dyke told the
story OF Roaring Camp and read some
of its best passages.
Sac then told of visit she had made
few years ago to Caiaveras. county,
" here she found the people told OF by
Fret Harte still living there. She went
to Angels Camp. The stage coach still
rt:rs to the place, and the robber or old
is still haunting the roads traversed by
the characteristic vehicle of the Sferras-
Even then the sheriff had just captured
. hiRhwayman who had terrorized the
route Angels Camp, she said. exists to-
day as II did forty years ago. The Only
marked difference is i'm the presence OF
sexeraI hundred European miners. There
l. the bar-room made famous by Mark
Twain: il was near by that Truthful
James lived and the story of Stan slaus
had its foundation. The town crier sun
parades the streets as in the OLD days.
ana shouts for instance, Social dance
at Garvin's hall tonight" For some time
the vein was lost, but it was recovered
and the great mining property Is no"
owned by c. ID. Lane. Every man, "oHi-
an and child in the county again became
interested in an undeveloped soid mine
They were always undeveloped- Ihere
was one woman whom she met, "on
an who was 81 years of age, VINO told
her seriously that when one OF her mines
began to pay she would take co-ies
course, utterly oblivious to the fact thdI
she had already put enough money INTO
the mines to have obtained SIX college
courses
The most Interesting romance she ever
had ANYTHING to do with was when she
went TO Blue Canyon in the Sierras, the
rendezvous for sportsmen, anglers ana
tired people, who had been told by their
physicians to seek the exh,larauhs at.
mosuhere there. She had heard OF =
dead city which had once been a teem-
ing mining camp in the early days OF
r.oid seeking, but her efforts to get in
formation about II from any one tneFe
Vyere unayaiIing. There was always
w.terv connected with a lost mine or
a lost city. and no one who has the
slightest knowledge of either seems VIII
ing 70 talk 1t was Castle City sne
wanted TO find, on the borders OF iake.
which had once had q population OF S'o.
Il, was a lively town until suddenly
the veins of ore seemed to give out ana
everybody departed, leaving their homes
and stores as they Were she set out
rndauuted however, accompanied by a
friend Miss Gertrude McRae, and p
Young man who wore huge revolver
top boots and spurs, who had a max
mum OF wealth and minimum OF cis-
cretsou all with the appearance OF one
;ust escaped from the pages OF q penny
dreadfuI They went horseback through
mountain roads and at last had the sat
isfaction Of striking trail which leu
them to the ruined town 1t seemed de-
serted The houses and stores were
rhers on two or three long streets, but
most OF them had broken In by the
weight OF the SHOWS of "A winters. Ihe
IGN of a hotel was still to be seen above
a doorway and in saloon could De seen
IN. traces OF mirrors. and on shelves
gIss.es still rested. But the town was
NOT entirely deserted, for they met one
who had lived there since the day an
others deserted IL. His name was JoIh
C;rsv. ard Mrs. Dyke said he was the
bandsomest man she had ever seen He
had kept a daily diary for "A years on
the walls and doors OF his abode ana
81. felt she too must have hsufeI III
that diary, as perhaps one OF the hrst
cr two women who ever entered
cabf,. He stu delved into the mountains
and undoubtedly found wealth there ioF
a. an end of this romance OF lost MN
- t,Tvn Mrs. Dyke said she saw not
long ago on the passenger list ot the
China the names John GRAY ana WI
and although she FASTENED to the wharl,
IN. vessel was just leaving Honolu
harbor. She instinctiveiy felt that the
richly dressed lady who leaned over the
rail waving her handkerchief was hrs
Jsaa Gray, OF as she knew her, Gertrude