The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1911-07-20

Westinghouse company at Pittsburg,
where they will go to make their
home after a short visit with reia-
tives al De Smet. Their many friends
will Join in wishing them every hap
piness.
The fire guard proposition is recelV-
ing attention from the people OF the
western part of the state earlier than
usual this year, and every private or
public fire break is being stirred, or
the owners are being urged to take
such action. This on account or the
dry weather so early in the season
putting the prairie in shape where 1t
will burn early; and the further fact
that on account of scarcity OF feed, a
fire loss is so much more serious h a
il would be under normal conditions,
There D on these accounts TO be
more care taken this year than for
any former year since settlement OF
the state.
A card from Carl Thayer, who is
holding down a claim near Timber
Lake, says that the crops in that sec
ton are poor and that it will be es-
pecially hard on the settlers in that
new country. He says that a man,
who had been holding down a claim
near Lennon, passed through Timber
Lake with the following inscription
on his wagon: Forty miles from
water. a hell of a ways from wood,
I am leaving South Dakota and leav-
ing il for good Gail says though,
that most of the settlers up there are
more optimistic than this fellow and
are inclined to stick to it," in the
belief that there are better days COM
ing for that new section.
The North Western railroad is just
completing a telephone system over
all its lines, which will be used for the
purpose of operating trains, especially
local traffic, the telegraph being used
d for the long distance messages. One
of the Dakota circuits will run from
Huron to Brookings, with branch lines
from Athol to Cakes and from TurtOn
to Groton, the distance covered by this
circuit being 40 miles. The dispatch
err will be located at Huron, and the
circuit will be equipped with SO sta
tions. The second Dakota circuit will
run from Huron to Tracy, a distance
of 1863 miles. This circuit will be
equipped with twenty stations and the
dispatcher will be located at Huron.
For over a quarter Of a century,
Matthews Byrnes, a resident of Crook
City, between Deadwood and White
wood, and one a prosperous settle
ment of 10000, has been conducting
a futile search for a pot of hidden
gold near his premises. Thirty-three
years ago, when Crook City was just
commencing to become a town
Byrnes claims he learned of the Sc
erection of the gold by some placer
miners who were driven out Of the
Hills by United States troops and
were unable to carry all their dust
with them. According to the story
they buried a portion of it in a can
non about a mile and a half from
Crook City, the spot being marked
by a large rock, about $4,000 wortf
of gold being hidden there. Evel
since Byrnes has spent his summers
digging for that gold and his winters
at blacksmithing. He has removed
the earth six feet deep from a space
300 feet around the rocks, but ha!
found no trace Of the gold which he
is sure that he will ultimately locate
He is Ga years old but is IN
discouraged in his search and is nov
digging more vigorously than ever.