Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-01-01
SILVER MINERS
SAW HARD TIMES
IN THE NINETIES
SMALL WONDER MONTANANS
LOOKED ON BRYAN AS
THEIR CHAMPION

was the hero and savior of the silver
miner. Bryan's place in the history of
this republic will be among the
mortals who had a hand in shaping
the nations destiny.
In the early nineties nearly every
operating mine in Montana was
producer of silver. The white metal
was the livelihood of large proper
ton of the population and the very
existence of many mining camps, and
it was naturally with uneasiness that
the workers especially, watched the
quotations steadily fall from the high
peak of $1.20 an ounce to 81 and less.
1t was a time for apprehension.
And then the young meteor from
Nebraska flashed across the political
zenith, delivered his famous Gross of
Gold" speech and raised the hopes Of
the silver miner to a high pitch of
enthusiasm. The democrats of the
Rocky mountain region were with him
to man, while so many republicans
were DETECTED that it was found
necessary to formulate a new party
which became known as the silver
republican" party. 1t was losing
fight as everyone now knows and the
consequences were extremely un-
pleasant for many sin the busted"
silver camps
The Trend Was Downward
In the summer of 1893 whenever a
mail arrived in the more or less iso-
lated mining camps, the financial
columns of the newspapers were the
center of intense interest. BY the first
of May silver had dropped to about
80. Once in a while it would go up
half point or so and there was
great rejoicing only to give way to
Sombre gloom when the next mail
would show sag of a point or more.
When it reached the low point of IS,
hope fled and at SO the world dropped
from under, for the mines began to
close down and there was no place to
go. It's a mighty serious thing to
yank ones livelihood away and who
can blame us for a vociferous support
of our only spokesman during that
period of blank despair?
Other sections of the country suf-
fered from the effects of the panic
of 1893. but the silver miners were on
the rocks "for fair" Cash and credit
were practically wiped out in a day.
The copper, lead and gold mines were
operating, it is true, but they could
not begin to absorb the workmen
thrown out of employment in the
smaller camps. 1t was a cataclysm of
disaster, and it required the passage
of many years before the participants
could discern any humor connected
with the situation.
In a silver producing camp of the
Little Belt mountains prominent
businessman of unimpeachable in
tegrity found himself in temporary
hole. The one bank of the town re-
cognized nothing but cold cash in all
transactions. Paper not bearing Uncle
Sans endorsement had no value dur
ing this period of stress. Our friend
had sound eastern connections, but
he had two pressing bills which must
be settled in order to preserve his
credit, one from a firm on the west
coast and another from an eastern
city. A brilliant idea was evolved He
merely drew checks for the amounts,
attached the checks to the bills, but
transposed them in the envelopes and
sent them on their way. 1t was only
few days time he sought for pend
ing arrival of funds from his eastern
connections, and it worked BY the
time the checks were in the hands of
the rightful parties the funds were in
the bank to honor them. 1t was the
only trick of his long and unblemished
career.
Neihart was and Is, primarily a
silver camp. The proof Is ample when
it is stated that the election in the
fall of 1893, out Of several hundred
ballots cast, the straight republicans
scored eight votes. The mines of Mel
hart closed down in June of that year.
Miners who had saved few dollars
out Of their wages, and they were
few. drew their bank deposits and
drifted out, the rest with no place to
go, did the best they could; prospected
some, used their credit to the utmost
limit or sponged on friends if any
could be found with substance. There
was gloom in large chunks cast over
the community and apparently fu-
ture of no promise.
Breezy Stranger Appears
A couple of months dragged by until
one day a breezy stranger drifted in.
Prosperity fairly oozed from his per-
sonality and things began to brighten
up. He was promoter and at once put
a few men to work on the Broadwater,
a mining property that had lain idle
for many years. There was some ore
in sight and the work was rushed by
Mr. Clark, the prosperous individual
upon whom hopes now conferred, and
who had seemingly gotten hold on
the property in some manner which
none took the trouble to question.
More men were added as the old
workings were cleaned out and in a
few months Neihart was showing
some of her old form, with over 100
miners in steady employment. The ore
was shipped as fast as mined; the
paydays were regular and welcome.
The price of silver, which continued
to decline, seemed to worry Clark not
at all. People wondered how he could
pay royalty on the ore and realize
a profit, but he evidently did it and
in addition lived like prince and
spent like a fuddled sailor. He estab-
lished home in Helena, made fire.
quent trips to Neihart, mostly by spe-
cial train, as a regular schedule of
three trips a week was entirely too
slow for him; and he succeeded in
practically exhausting the ore on the
Broadwater in some two or three