The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-01-07
Burning of International Hotel at Vir-
ginia City, Nevada, Recalls Remi-
niscences of the Comstock.
&C. C Goodwin, Editor of Gqodwln's Weekly

hotel was burned today Not much
/ in that is thrilling, but 10, those seven
words make AL the burial places of
a miners memory give up their dead.
/ 1t is just about 50 years ago that the
/ foundations of the first International
/ hotel We're laid in that first winter
when the first rush was being made to
/ The Comstock, That was some winter.
| The word came, late in the autumn,
/ that mountain had been found in the
desert and a specimen taken at ram
dom for pocket piece when assayed
went $l2S7 in gold and, wonder OF
wonders, $3.50 IN silver.
The placers in California were be-
ginning to fail; the ragged and hungry
and dead broke. were returning from
Fraser river, from down through Ore
gon, on foot, down in the steerage Of
coast steamers, and many just on the
iopen decks.
Oregon had grown tired of feeding
them and one genius who is still alive,
walked the whole length of Oregon
land northern California on the small
est capital ever heard of, He obtained
| somehow a bit of slate and a pencil
| md wrote on the slate, Il am deaf and
dumb and hungry" He Jared sump-
uously every day, but to relieve, his
mind when he found a place in the
deep woods beyond the hearing of men
he would shout until every cougar In
the forest fled.
Comstock Answers the Question.
| The question was on thousands of
lips, where next?" Then the as
founding news of the discovery float
ed over the Sierras from the desert be-
lyond.
It was received as an answer to the
prayer.
No wonder there was rush. In a
night as it were. men ceased repinine
at outrageous fortune; ceased indeed
dreaming Of fortunes in thousands.
nothing less than million would dc
for many who had gone suppcrless to
| bed and did not know where any
breakfast was coming from. But they
were comforted, believing that this
| time they would Strike it sure
There were no roads, but that did
not matter, they had climbed noun
tains before So from Siskiyou to San
Diego the exodus began. It was the
most tragic comedy ever seen. As if
resenting the INFUSION, the great ST.
arras called up all their storms-cold
and snow and gales that would blow
the buttons from ones coat, and when
they were finally crossed, there was
still another height to climb on the
crest Of which was the great lode.
That was all there was there, no
houses, no food, not one comfort
J. Ross Brown wrote a book, pur-
porting to be his experience, and illus
! trated it, The book and the illuslra -
tons were caricatures and when
Brown put it in the publishers hands
he took ship for Europe and remained
away until people forgot about his
book
The best and worst men of Califor
| MIA Joined that exodus. In every Cali
fornia town there had been one tough
| Who was chief They met in Virginl:
City and to decide who was to be chic
in the new camp caused many diver
sion and many funerals in the follow
| ing three years.
Brilliant Array of Legal Talent
Contests over claims soon began anC
hat drew an array of lawyers Their
Who would have been a potential fore
1t any bar in America. 1t is pleas
ure to recall the names of some
them. Judge Baldwin, Thomas VIII
liams, William NJ. Stewart, Moses
Kirkpatrick, Judge Rising, Judge Robt
Il. Taylor, Judge William Campbell, c.
T. belong, Pat Hundley, James Har-
Y, Judge r. s. Messick, c. II. Hillycr
Judge Sandy Baldwin, Judge Cy Wal
ace, Henry Meredith and many more
The doctors were just as eminent;
John Mackay lived in a cabin that he
had built or bought and when the wind
vas bowling was wont to declare that
{ he could ever get $4,000 together he
would get out Of the barbarous place
His views were shared by thousands
more who were camped on that storm
swept mountain side.
That was the situation when Ike
Bateman arrived. II needed but o
glance to show him how much hote,
vas needed. He had a little money
he found a partner with a little more
md they began work. Lumber was
worth about 25 cents pound, and cam
vas was high. but they perseveree and
the first International hotel was built.
street was story higher than c
street, so the hotel had a two-story
'front.' on c and one story on b. There
was a bar, an office and few rooms
IN the G street front, but the upper
story was single room running from
street to street Here the beds were
lbout IS inches wide and about is
inches apart. The room was filled to
,uffocation every night and half the
day, for when a man rose in the NOR
ming there was tired man waiting to
get few hours Of sleep.
II what happened in that long room
that winter could be written it would