The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1934-01-25

| volt administration began bidding
| UP the price of this precious metal,
| the gold fever has been courslng
| through the veins of Americans
| once more. Thousands of men and
l Il women-yes even children ARE
y ~ washing and sluicing the sands of
~ western streams .panning for pay
dirt" just as the placer miners did In the golden
days Of 40. Old shafts are being re-explored and
grass-covere5l dumps are being worked over
again. "Thar's gold In them thar hills has be-
come again something more than convention
al literary joke.
In the old time gold camps of California, Mon
tana, Colorado, South Dakota and Nevada. either
dead or sleeping these many years, there Is re-
neWed activity. "Ghost towns coming to life
again. Old shacks are being patched up and
once more smoke rises from their chmneys.
Buildings along deserted streets are being rem
ovated, repaInted and repaired In preparation
for the opening up OF new business enterprises.
Among these rejuvenated mining camps is Vir-
ginla City. New. and the activity there recalls
once more the romantic story of the Comstock
Lode. And since President Roosevelt issued his
order for reconciliation of silver, thus stimulat-
Ing the mining Of this metal again. there is all
the more reason for recalling the Comstock Lode.
For though It was the search for gold which
which made Virginia City the greatest mining
town upon the continent and set the stage for a
series of dramatic events. echoes OF which
heard to this day, even though the discovery OF
the Comstock Lode took place three-quarters OF
a century ago.
The story of the Comstock Lode has been told
and retold many times bur seldom. II ever. has
1t been told more interestingly, In all Its rami-
ications than In two books by G. B. Glasscock
The Big Bonanza-the Story Of the Comstock
Lode" and Lucky Baldwin-the Story of an I'm
conventional Success" published In recent
months by the Bobbs- Merrill company. The scene
OF this modern fairy tale was valley 10 Storey
county. Nevada, few miles southeast or Reno,
and more particularly d mushroom mining camp
which had sprung up In Gold Canyon late In the
fftes
Among those who eked out bare existence
there were men whose names were destined for
future fame. "rhere was Henry Thomas Paige
Comstock. lanky, loud voiced. boastful. bully
Ing prospector with q short chin beard and a
shayen upper lip which gave him sanrtimoni-
GUS air entirely out OF keeping with his real
character. He was known Familiarity AZ Old
Pancake because he subslsted chiefly upon flap
Jacks. insisting he was always too busy to make
the sour dough bread OF the miners
There was James Finney or Fennimore a
drunken irresponsible teamster otherwise known
as Old Virginia, for his habit Of boastng of his
native state. who had drifted into the region
with the Mormon expedition of 1851 and re-
NAMED TO become as famous Ms he was bibu-
lous. There were Peter ORIley, Patrick Nc
Laughn Nanny Penrod, Jack Bishop, Joe Win
tiers and a few other choice spirits with some
claim to fame"
One January day In 1880 group of these
JDhnt0Wn urOSuprturs fOuk EamulpA from the
slope on the upper east side OF the canyon and
washed the dirt In tiny spring nearby. Each
pan of dirt showed from eight to fifteen cents
worth of gold. This wasn't rich strike, of
course but II was sufficiently encouraging so
that they set up tents and brush huts and es
tabllshed new settlement to which they gave
the name OF Gold HILL
After several weeks, pay dirt Of sufficient rich
ness to reward them with SIS or $50 day for
their work was found THAT WAS enough fur the
JohntoWners, who earning ali average of
81. Johntown moved to Gold Hill. The slopes
swarmed with prospectors But the rich ground
was limited. There was not enough to provide
profitable claims for the 10 or 50 men who made
up the settlement. They scattered, searching for
more. Prospecting interest centered for d time
near the head OF Six-Mile canyon.
There In the spring OF 1859 Peter ORiley
and Patrick Mclaughlin who Ind been mining
In the district for several years, opened trench
from which they took wage Of $3.50 to 81
day 1t was poor pay. The lrishmen were dis
couraged They wanted to get away to a new
placer strike on Walker river, OF which there
was much talk In camp But they were broke.
They needed 500 for a grubstakeJ So they re-
NAMED and toiled and sweat and instead Of
$780, received s43500l"
And this Is where the fairy story Of the Com
stock Lode begins For these two Irishmen were
the real discoveries Of the vein OF precious metal,
the like Of which has never been seen In the
world since but 1t bears the name OF neither OF
them Instead 1T bears the name Of that "lanky,
ond-voced boasful, bullying prospector" Hen
nv Thomas Paige Comstock, and 1t was thus
chrstened "by sheer force Of loud voice and
some cunning understanding of human nature"
The story of the discovery by O'Riley and Nc
Laughlin and Comstock's part In 1t Is told by
Glasscock as follows.
1T happened that upon the day when O'Rileys
and Mclaughlin made their first cleanup,
amounting to more than $780, Comstock was
searching the slopes for horse which he had
turned out to rustic for living He had found
the horse and was riding back to Gold Hill when
he came upon the Irishmen cleaning their rocker
for the day.
Zone glance was sufficient You've struck 1t,
boys I he shouted and promptly declared himself
IT, 49, r,,cL