Year: 1860

The Romance OF Mining.


Anincidentof of mining experience, of thrill
ing interest to us, came to our knowledge a
few years ago while stopping one night at
Shullsburg, in the State of Wisconsin. We
will take the liberty of laying it before our
readers, as continuation of the regular
weekly mining articles. Il is but one OF ten
thousand similar experiences which have
happened in the mining region, and are even
now daily transpring.


In the year 1920, young Englishnlan left
the mining district of Cornwall, in the Brit
ish isle, and came to New England and toll
ed as a farm laborer for FIVE or six years, at
the end Of which time he found it convenient
to e,ope with the pretty daughter Of his en-
, ployer. Although the young couple were
forgiven, and entreated TO return, they start
ed for the wilds of the distant West. With
in six months after their departure from their
old Connecticut home, they found them
selves reduced TO abject poverty in the little
mining burg Of Galena.


Martin, for that was his name, was driven
by necessity to engage himself to work in
lead mine, within a few miles of the now
fourishing city of Galena Liberal wages
were paid IN those days, so he was enabled
to support his yearly increasing family 10
comfort. and still lay aside small sum an.
nually for future use. For FIVE years he
served one individual to the mutual salts
faction of both master and man. During al
this time he had seized every opportunity of
'tearning~.ile 'secre.s Of his trade, and studied
haed to obtain the key that should unlock
TIE vaults Of the earth, and yield him their
Hidden wealth. He became strong in the be-
lief there were external signs by which the
locality of mineral could be detected and
even in the present day of greater enlight-
enment the same opinion is religiously held
by ninety nine hundredths of all our mir ars.


With this one IDEA paramount il nis mind
Martin started out prospecting, and after
short search selected a spot of earth near
Shullsburg, which, in his estimation, should
contain an immense lode. Without waiting
10 test the truth of his opinion, he invested a
small portion of his savings in buying out
the improvements of squatler, and moved
his wife and four children into the little cab
in. Full of high hopes, he shouldered his
pick and set out to work, proud that he was
the owner of real estate, and confident OF
speedily winning an independence by dis
own toll.


A man never works with such a sill as
when he works for himself, and this was
proved by Martin, for his strong arms wrought
daily the work of two men. Down deep in
to the earth he sunk an expensive shaft, be-
ing obi9ged to curb portion of it to pre-
vent its falling in. This, with the wages he
paid an assistant made constant inroads up
on the little hoard of half dollars he had
slowed away in the little old stocking at
ehnsne- Occasional Jumps of cog mineral
wefemet as he progressed in his labor, which
only inhamed his desire for attaining the ob
ject of his hopes, and reaSsured him he was
or the right track. At the end of a year he
had approved" large extent of ground and
reduced himself to the verge of poverty
Z A few dollars only remained of his savings,
and this it was positively necessary to de-
vote to the support of his family, so he was
obliged to dis, b .rge his assistant.


The faithful wife, once the nurtured daugh-
ter of wealthy parents, then took 0er place
at the windlass, herself strong in the faith
that success must crown their efforts. Thus
another year passed away in fruitless search
for the galena, the mother sick and despair
ing, the children naked and starving, and
grim want staring at them from every quar-
ter. The father alone was still hopeful, but
dire necessity was too much for him-he was
obliged to abandon his own "diggings and
transfer his operations to an adjoining lot oi
land.


Scarcely day had elapsed before he found
enough "font" to pay him good wages. and
in half a year leave him an accumulation o.
capital sufficient to enable him to resume op.
erations on his own land. Then was wit.
messed a repetition of his former years expe-
rieuce. He dug and blasted down deep
there. in the bowels of the earth, without
reaping cent day for reward, until bis
children cried for bread. Now the wife los
courage, and plead with him to relinquisi
bis enterprise as hopeless and not waste nj:
life in penury and shaving labor, when h'
could easily earn competence at another
place. Martin. however, was deaf to suct
argufierts as these; he knenc he should wiz
a fortune on that very spot, and succeed b.
would or die in the shaft.


So for five years more he alternately la
bored upon neighboring lands. where h'
could Invariably raise sufficient ore in sil
months, to cradle him to continue exp o.
,.,;ons on his own for the remaining hal
year AT the end of these weary sever
years his wife had exhausted entreaty, lov,
and natience, and wrote to her father to o.
taken home. Martin witnessed the depar
~-scre of his wife and children in sort OF sto
nv hearted apathy, apparently experiencing
~-sI;ef At their absence. His one idea hat
h.come a sort of monomania, and as a.
came up out of the shaft, his paiiid iaee
fery eyes, and heavy beard, MADE MIN 1907
,;L. one of the puomes described IN German
legends. Hewas regarded oy Dis orotner ni
-srs e crayy. Some of them laughed ant