Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1902-07-02
SNAKE STORIES.
SOME NEW ONES TOLD BY
MINING MEN.
"BARoN MuNcHANsEN' oUTDoNE-
OYSTERS THAT GROW ON BUSHES
FIFTY THOUSAND DEAD
RATrLERs.

Quite group of mining veterans sat
In New York, telling stories OF hunting
and mining in the great West. They
were all California and Nevada men OF
wide experience and reputation, with
mining knowledge at their fingers ends
and big money In their pockets.
They recalled the days when Mark
Twain was one OF them, until be became q
reporter on the Virginia CITY Enterprise
and took up his residence in lonely
cabin on the slope OF the great noun
tains. His stories made him famous be-
cause they were true, they said. No man
could live in Nevada, tell lies and survive.
II was the cold truth or iynchiug out
there.
"Teli the fsme stories in New York
and no one would believe Them said
Capt. Barbridge, the engineer and min
Ing expert. "For instance, when pros
pecting once, had . rsttlesnake adven-
ture that was gospel truth and would be
believed anywhere west OF the Missouri
river. had ten or twelve men and
a wagon load of supplies and . mining
outfit. We were all armed and on the
lookout Tor game as we journeyed.
"one day, on . pateau Of barren
rocks, saw lot of rattlers iust ahead
OF as, and hurried on to get better shot
at them. Like q fash they disappeared.
We found the rocks of volcanic ehsrsc-
ter, foil OF holes, and under little ledge
| was an opening to cave. We cut a
Il "a ~ - "a a
showed II down, TO see II there were any
rsttiers at the bottom. OF course the
dog would bark and give warning II
there were.
CAUGHT SNAKES WITH MEAT.
You never heard such screeching and
bowling as came from that hole when the
dog touched bottom. He seemed suf-
locating and we hauled him up. There
must have been two hundred snakes
hanging to the brute by their hooked
teeth. He was already dead and swelling
up. We killed most OF the snakes and
prepared for vengesnee.
81 sent my eolored man Bob to the
wagon for ammunition. We put forty
pounds Of giant powder into 9 ganny
sack, dropped in couple OF sticks Of
dynamite, with, q cartridge attached
70 hand battery, tied the sack
firmly and lowered u into the cave with
the pole. When I touched the button
there was muffisd explosion that shook
the earth, yet no sign OF snakes.
'.tsut the odor was worse than a tbous-
and chemical factories. Having some
mines to prospect ten mites over the
mountain, we left, to return a day or
two later. We couldn't stand the odor
OF the place. When we came back, and
dropped In few pine knots to light up
the cave, II was one mass OF dead rattle
snakes. The pile was as big ss q hay
loft, and by blowing out section OF the
ledge We found that the cave extended
under the ground for quarter OF mile.
and II was foil OF snakes all the way.
by careful measurements we estimated
that there were between 5000 and
co. 900 dead rsttlers. After pulling them
out with hooks for an hour, the smallest
We saw was eight feet long and had nine
teen rstt!es. very seldom tell this story
this side OF Caicsgo. because IL IL true,
and I don't want to be called q liar, even
10 New York.
OYSTERS GROW on BUSHES.
"Then had smother experience in
Lower Calitcrnia--down on the old Span
ish peninsula. The ROCKS are full of
go,d there, and along sseshore you eau
find everything from pearls to emeralds
and oysters. That reminds me, the oys-
ter bushes OF old California show the re-
sources of that rernrr kabie country. The
bushes hang like willows into the water.
literally alive with oysters--the sweetest
juiciest bivsIves imaginable. There are
miles of item growing on the bushes uu-
der water. They fssten themselves to the
twigs when young. You can run a boat
along shore for hundreds OF miles and
club them of IKE spples, the haest oys-
tiers on the globe tumbiing into the boat
by the wagon load. / have never seen
any good oysters since.
"Aoont 200 miles below San Diego we
came to a wilderness around a lake.
There did not seem TO be room enough in
the lake for the ducks, so they roasted on
TO supply city.
| Toward evening We saw a lot OF deer
coming down to the lake, with mountain
lions la close pursuit The deer plunged
into the water and we after them on a
raft, and we got up so close that we killed
half dozen Of them with a sort OF bar
poon we had for spearing seats on the
coast. OF course stories like this might
be believed In Milwaukee, but New York-
l Sak T..
Nevada any preacher would youeh for
them
KANSAS STORY.
snow, IL you really want a little fable
listen to this: You know the Californ "a
onions are really wonderful. They grow
anywhere from the size OF skillet TO a
coal bod. Col. Jim. Taylor, Of Kansas,
who bad been president OF the Agricul-
turai society at Topeka and thought he
I knew sDmefhing about big yegafa bles