Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-04-18

TRANSPORTATION in the Butte dis
trict has passed, in rapid success
sion, from the OK team 60 the air.
plane. The OK team made ~ miles
q day. The airplane makes three
miles a minute. The late John Ber-
Kin, veteran mining man, who died
a few weeks ago, came to Virginia
City by OK team, while still little
boy. Small as he was the OK team
was too slow for him. 1--WE used 90
get tired Of those pokey old teams
MI. Berkin said, land then we
would get off and walk ahead of
them. It took several days 70 make
the trip from Fort Benton to Alder
GuIch.S
For local passenger transportation Butte be-
gan with a horse-drawn street-car line.
then came q dummy steam line 70 Co
lumbia Gardens, next q cable line and then
Gable line Runs
When we came 70 Butte the cable line was
still running The turn-table was located at
about the middle Of the block on Main street,
between Park and Galena streets on tne
south end. and on West DAILY street, Walker
viIie on the north end The line went straight
up the CenterviHe hill and then swerved 20
the left, behind the Lexington shaft and
across q high trestle to its termination
A saloon was located Just south Of the
cable track and did q good business. Then
came the electric Hne which changed the
Of the Gable saloon suffered seriously BY
the change The saloon keepers got the brill
liant idea OF making a sidewalk out OF the
abandoned cable trestle In the hope that It
would attract pedestrians 70 their door They
spent several hundred dollars for planking
and constructed a ereditable sidewalk but
business did not improve. Later much OF the
planking was torn up for kindling wood
Chinese Ont Of Lack
Although Chicken flat had been well gone
over by placer miners the Chinese in 1898
Last Chance guleh and on Gold creek But
not even a Chinese colony could get pay
values out OF the old workings. We had I
large colony Of Chinese in Montana even In
the 90s. They we're not welcome in some
towns and we're tolerated in all Of them ex- /
cept Great Falls. Great Falls was not as bad
as the Colorado highlands where they hanged
Chinese on general principles but the Chinese
come. David Browne was collector Of the port
at Great Fails The Chinese often had busi-
ness with his office. But" he said, they
alp Ia at night and disappear in the morn
Ing. They are never seen on the streets"
I once took q tenderfoot from California
down the Lexington shaft. Jack Bouck was
the foreman. When he saw the expensive raj
ment Of the Californian he said, Those toys
viii never do for a mine shaft. can't give
you shoes but there is a pair Of Heinzes
overalls in the locker" So my friend wore
Heinze's overalls and jumper-the Heinze com
pany had control Of the Lexington at that
lime.
bouck stated later that ne took chance
When he went down In the Lexington. The
workings were connected, he said. with those
of the Alice which we're fun OF water; the
pumps had been pulled a long while be-
fore. The bulk head was showing signs of
leaking" he said. III It had broken through
The water would have drowned out at least
'ne Lexington level"
Butte was one Of the most democratic
on earth in those days. It was
working-c community in every sense
o. the word. Lou Forestel, successful San
Francisco attorney-was then working in the
mines. he was taking his supper one evening
at the Courthouse restaurant, which was To-
Gated on the northeast corner Of Granite
and Alaska. man came out Of the kitchen
ana sat down at the same table. He had been
cutting and carrying wood for his supper
Foresten engaged him in conversation and
took liking to him. Forestel said to him:
4 think can get you a Job IN the mines
En the meantime you can eat on nv meal
ticket" The man flushed. IT am not broke"
he said, reaching for an inside pocket. Il
nave $500 IN the bank. But won't spend ,
L any faster than I can help. I can't see ,
any difference between carrying in wood and
coal Tor a meal than earning money that
Way-and then paying it for a meal. So >
work Tor my meals and tip brakemen on !
freights for a ride" This man was after .
wards one Of Buttes successful merchants. j
Jobs In the Mines
Everybody sought Jobs in the mines in
he 's0s-school teachers, lawyers account
ants. clerks and tradesmen. White collar
obs were scarce. OF course these men didn't
AAoN huytnlnk aDOut Mln1nE-but they hoped L
o be put to work with someone who was
experienced Sometimes It didn't work out =
Jon P. Mahoney, a general foreman at the :
rooele smelter when he died last year nearly :
lad heart failure when he landed q Job with Z
lack ONein at the Anaconda and discovered Y
nat ms partner was as ignorant Of mining Z
V he was.
But O'Neill was considerate Both men kept
neir Jobs, There was more about mining
nan breaking ore and putting IL Ia the
.n, the loaiing technique was highly de- II
eloped. For instance, the experienced miner 81
Fno had been sitting on a piece Of timber n
NTH he heard the shift boss coming down s,
ne chute some bosses we're so kindly that b
hey dropped rocks down the chute to let o.
ne men know they were coming--would turn h
he timber upside down $50 the boss won't 81
eel the warm place II he puts his hand on G.
be timber" When a man was DISCHARGED he n
oudnt go back to work again during that n