Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1904-04-02
MARK TWAIN
AS A MINER
His Experience Told Long
Lost Letter.
Let Assessed Stock Go Which Sold a
Month Later for an EnOr-
nous Sum.

discovered written by MARX Twain
"a years ago on the occasion OF the
meeting Of the California Pioneers
association at Delmonico's shortly
after the completion of the Union
Pacific. Mr.. Clemens at one time
worked on the Virginia City Enter
prise, John Mackay's paper. He
also took a turn at mining and the
letter read at the banquet deals with
his mining experience:
"ELMIRA, N. Y, October II, 1869.
To the California Pioneers-Gen
tlemen: Circumstances rendered it
out of my power to take advantage
Of the invitation extended to me
through Mr.. Simonton, and be pres
emit at your dinner in New York. |
regret this very much, for there are
several among you whom | would
have a right to join hands with on
the score of old friendship, and |
suppose | would have a sublime gen
eral right to shake hands with the
rest of you on the eor of kinship in
California ups and downs in the
search of fortune.
eff | were to tell some of my ex-
periences you would recognize Cali
fornia blood in me, | fancy. The old,
old story would sound familiar, no
doubt. | have the usual stock Of
"reminiscences. For instance, | went
to Esmeralda early.
II purchased largely in the Wide
West, the Winnemucca and other
fine claims, and vas very wealthy.
/ Jared sumptuously on bread wher
flour was 5000 a barrel, and haC
beans every day when none buf
bloated a~ristocrats could afford sucl
grandeur, But l finished by feeding
batteries to a quartz mill at $15
week, and wishing | was a batter,
myself and had somebody to feed me
My claims in Esmeralda are Their,
yet.
II suppose | could be persuade,
to sell. | went to the Humboldt
district when it was new. | becam
largely interested in the Alba Nuev
and other claims with gorgeou
names, and was rich again in pro;
pect. | owned a vast mining PROF
erty there. | would not have sol
out for less than $500, 900 at tina
time, but | will now. Finally | wake
home-some 200 niles partly fl
exercise and partly because stae
fares were expensive.
Next | entered upon 40 affluer
career in Virginia City, and by
iudicious investment Of labor and Il
capital Of friends became the ownt
Of about all the worthless wilde,
mines there were in that part of Il
country.
Assessment did the business fl
me there, There were lit asses
ments to one dividend, and the pr
poi ton Of income to outlay was
little against me. My financial the
mometer went down to 80 degre
Fahrenheit, and the subscriber W
frozen out, / took up extensions
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. that reae
ed to British America IN one dire
ton and the Isthmus Of Panama
the other-aud | verify believe
would have been a rich man if | CIV
found those Internal extensions. b
/ didn't. ran tunnels till I tapp
the Arctic ocean, and | sunk shaI
till | broke through the roof Of pc
dition, but those extensions turn
up missing every time.
Il am willing to sell all that pre-
erty and throw in the improvement
Perhaps you remember the celebr,
cd North Optir. | bought ii
mine. 1t was very rich ID pure silv,
You could take il out il humps as
as a tilbert. But when it. was d
covered that these humps were nell
talf dollars, and hardly melted
that, a painful case Of ',altin'i "
apparent, and the undersigned !;
ialrued 10 lie poor house again.