White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1923-06-10
BABBLING
IN THE DESERT


1t is a mistake to say that ii Is
Frank 3assett's mitt, the famous
Mitten that is the conspicuous part
of the silhouetted evening horizon
southwest of Tippett station. 1t was
there long before Frank came to the
desert country, ven back in the
Lewis and Clark, Kit Carson and
General Fremont Jays. 1t was there
when Buffalo Bill, al the age of IA.
riding the pony express across Ante
Hope valley sixty-three years ago was
Iguided to the spot where stands the
station, and all of these persons saw
II there and came and went before
Frank was born. Also Ben Holiday.
Gilmer and Salisbury, Woodruff and
Ennos, Mark Twain. Hank Monk.
Schuyler Colfax, Horace Greeley,
Hank Knight, Elias Dart and a host
OF others.
The name of it is just the Mitten
and it is a double-peaked monument
rock standing on the first ridge about
seven miles from the station. For
almost eighty years it has filled the
role of a lighthouse, guiding travel
ers to the place, and in the days pc
fore there were roads it saved many
a one from getting lost. As 1t is
seen from several angles it resembles
a mittened hand, the finger tips and
thumb pointing vertically upward.
When its base is reached il is said to
be no more than thirty feet high and
twenty across, though at a distance
il looks like it should be of much
greater dimensions. Such natural
monuments are common in granite
formations. l suppose this is gran
ite-I haven't climbed up to see. I
doubt IL Mr.. Bassett has. either. He
does not claim il as his own.
Lee Marriott and | drove up to
Connor's station and found it locked
up tighter'n a drum. Says |. I guess
Billy's away sparkling some o them
schoolma'ms that's allds 'phon.ng TO
him." We had to have some water
anyway, so we helped ourselves from
the trough. | said Billy would need
some money il it came to paying for
a lot of these telephone converse
tions, for he was not the kind of a
guy TO let the ladies pay so | dug
down in my jeans till | found a To-
cent piece and slipped it under the
door to pay Billy for the water for
our radiator.
How much did you put under
there?" said Lee.
Ten cents said l.. "Billy'll
need
"Aw, you ole piker." sang out Lee
in anger. Here. I'm gonna leave
i'm four bits"
Did you get the 90 cents that Lee
and l showed under your door. Billy,
the time I think you went to Baker
to talk it over with the women
who've been ringing you up ani
monopolizing the line wher other
folks wanted to talk?
Doc Cook once had a deal on to
sell the Skylark mine. over in Beaver
county, Utah. He partly optioned
enough of the stock to transfer o
troll, putting in his own. which was a
big chunk. He had a buyer but
while the deal was pending a news
paper writer went to the mine to
give it a writeup. He published in
a Salt Lake paper a story saying the
whole bottom of the shaft was In
good ore.
What are you trying 10 do to
u.s." the stockholders demanded OF
Doc. The writeup had driven them
crazy and they cancelled the options.
The deal fell through and in the
years that followed the property has
been forgotten mad Doc has let his
shares go by the board
That is what a newspaper writeup
did for me- a y the doctor.
There was nothing comical about
it.