The Washington herald., 1909-03-07

wafer NAttuB BuisneS your candle every
few feet OF progress.
The most dangerous mine in which 7
ever gathered news was one in which car
ponic acid gas was continuously gener-
ated. The gas was blown out by means
OF a huge fan. As the gas is much
heavier than the atmosphere. the miners
protect themselves by occasionally low
ering candle into il. The height Of the
gas is indicated by the point at which
the flame leaves the wick AS long as
the fan and pumps work properly. there
Is little danger, except that a number Of
people constantly walking through the
gas VIII cause II to mix so thickIy with
the atmosphere as to imperil breathing.
When the fan fails TO work. as II some
times does. then there is a rush for life
to the cage.
Another gas that sometimes inter
feres with the pleasure OF getting min
ing news is sulphuretted hydrogen. II
one has never smelt sulphuretted hydro
gen gas he can have little conception Of
the odor.
A Bear Story.
Every urban newspaper man knows
that reporter fails sometimes to get the
story he goes for. but comes back with
another just as good. That experience
befen a mining camp editor once IN this
way: He went with prospector to look
at claim about six miles from town. 1t
was late in the summer. and raspberries
were ripe. On the way they came to
prolific patch and stopped. The editor
kept up a running fire Of comment TO his
companion, and received such replies as
man with mouthful Of the luscious
fruit Is able 10 make. In a little while,
although the editor was aware that his
companion was standing close beside him.
the replies ceased. Turning suddenly up
on him, the editor began, Say.
Charlie Then he stopped. Beside
him. almost within touch, stood a huge
cinnamon bear. shoveling berries into
his eapacious smiling mouth with both
fore paws. When a person sees bear
Unexpectedly he is supposed 10 let out a
'whoOD.' This editor didn't. He simply
'elided himself he merged with the
landscape he vanished faded away like
some evanescent thing only 10 discover
his friend about two hundred yards fur
ther down the mountain headed for the
Pacific Coast. while the cinnamon
watched them for a moment in wide-eyed
amazement that they should have de-
serted such a sumptuous berry patch.
and then calmly resumed his delicious
repast.
Real Duties.
Not even in rural agricultural com
munities IS this matter Of personal equa-
tion such a factor in the life OF a news
paper man. In no other place does the
editor sustain such intimate personal re-
lations and associations with his sub
scribers. His printing Office. II he be the
right sort. is headquarters for any and
al matters pertaining 10 mining The
miner brings him the choicest specimens
Tor his cabinet; every new strike Of ore
finds representation in his collection. He
writes letters for the untutored writes
options for leases and bonds and gives
many hours Of his time 10 bringing the
individual mine owner and the capitalist
into closer relationship. In all u his deal
ings with the men Of the mining camp he
must exercise the care that secretary
of state would use in dealing with a
foreign power, for he Is dealing with
proud. Independent sensitive, and often
suspicious class Of men. II Will not do 10
publish a long article about a new strike
in one mine and ignore an equally new
strike in an adjacent property, unless he
wishes 10 lose the friendship Of the owner
OF the adjacent property. When a pros
pective investor arrives in camp he must
display the impartiality OF a Judge on the
bench in his attitude toward the various
properties pf his friends and subscribers
IL he would escape the imputations OF
friends and subscribers.
Again. In local politics. the editorial
path is often a devious and tortuOus one
beset by pitfalls. for local politics IN a
mining camp is largely a question Of in
dividuals rather than principles or party. I
The greatest anomaly in the editorial ex-
perience is that the patrons Of the paper I
expect him to lose no opportunity to ad-
vocate the larger use OF silver as money
free and unlimited coinage If possible
and assist them in interesting gold-bug
capitalists In their mining enterprises
Necessity OF Nerve.
There comes a time. however. in the
life OF an editor in the mining camp when
he must throw diplomacy TO the winds,
when he must take a stand for morality
and decency. I have in mind an incident
when a mine manager went to the local
editor and asked him 20 aid In a move
ment 10 prevent the utter decentralization
Of his force of miners and mill men. They
were spending their evenings in the gam
bling houses and saloons, and the efficien-
cy Of labor had decreased about 50 per
cent At the risk Of losing the greater
part OF the local patronage the editor in
voked the State law against gambling
and the Sun iay-Closing law for saloons I
Despite hidden and open threats he COM
PEELED the enforcement Of these laws.
and found TO his surprise that his paper
had benefited financially thereby, and
that his influence IN the community had
increased.
The wild and wo0lly' individual Of the
early mining camps. whose business Il
was to terrorize the editor by demanding
fiction frequently and
sometimes in facts no longer IN evil
dence. The personal alterations and
'gun-play' are almost a thing OF the past.
but when news OF this sort happens in
camp the editor who fails 10 publish the
facts fearlessly and back his course with
a column-rule. or. IL need be. with that
weapon OF the West. which
makes all men equal. had better sell his
paper to less talented but nervier ed
itor. for his day Of influence and useful
z ess viii be gone.
There are better jobs than running a
newspaper in mining camp, although
the transition OF the old camp to the mod
ern mining community Of to-day marks a
wonderful progress and has made the
editorial burden easier and safer TO bear.
but there are worse jobs. too. Hundreds
Of mining camps are still far removed
from centers Of population, and some Of
the early forms of tribulation stil remain.
There are fewer old Washington hand
presses and more drum cylinders there.
but even a drum cylinder viii make trou-
ble for an editor In these dsvs The Ias-
one 7 haG met with an accident one day
and had to send 2.500 miles to the fac
tory for duplicate parts. The replv re-