MEETING OF THE OLD-TIMERS--THE BUCKEYE TUNNEL--THE BEST AS IT
IS--BOOZER WHO GOT SKUNKED--THE HYDRAULIC MINER--MIKE’S EXPLANATION.
To an old-timer who is socially inclined, and I believe this is a trait
of character peculiar to the most of them, there is nothing, at least
of a social nature, that can be more agreeable or pleasing to him than
to meet with the old-timers with whom he was acquainted, or with an old
pard with whom he lived and worked nearly forty years ago.
It was upon a certain occasion, but a short time ago, when, having to
pass through an old mining locality, that I met by chance at a miner’s
cabin in the now dreary and almost deserted mining camp a company of
old miners, and among them found five old-timers whom I had known
nearly forty years before in the mining regions, where they were
engaged in mining.
For instance, here was old Mike, a rare specimen from the “old sod,”
who was one of our company when at work at Kanaka bar upon the South
fork of the American River, in the winter of ’50-’51. He was a man
overflowing with humor, of rare intelligence and generous to a fault.
Here was Tennessee also, who was a fine specimen of manhood from the
State which gave him his sobriquet, a man who was true to his friends
and with few enemies, and they were careful to keep out of his way,
although he was always ready to forgive an injury.
Another one was Jeff, who was a happy-go-lucky specimen of an
old-timer, who delighted to tramp around among the deep cañons and high
rocky cliffs for a prospect; not, however, that he expected to derive
any benefit from the rich discoveries that he might make, but, as he
expressed it, it did just make him feel awful good to see his friends
and relatives enjoy it.
Here was Jim also, a character similar in many respects to Jeff, and
who like the latter had washed from the soil a respectable fortune but
had scattered it among his friends and relatives in the East, this
manner of using it affording him the greatest enjoyment.
And last, though not least by any means, was Jersey. The latter
in early mining days had been very fortunate in all his mining
enterprises; had made and lost several fortunes in assisting others,
and even now in his old age was confident that it was to be his good
fortune to once more strike it rich in some far away and remote mining
region, for to his mental vision distance seemed to lend enchantment to
the view.
There were present old Pike and Boozer, who were yet in harness,
tramping about among the various mountain ranges of the coast, wherever
the indications were in their opinion most favorable for another raise
that was to exceed all previous ones.
Here also was Julius, a venerable colored individual from Boston,
an old-timer, too, and who had, like Mike, and for similar reasons,
abandoned mining, and was engaged in ranching.
The day after our meeting was a rainy one, and was spent in relating
our experiences for the past forty years in the various mining sections
of the coast; narrating our prospecting adventures among the various
mountain ranges that we had climbed over, and the deep, dark cañons
through which we had tramped in hopes of once more making a raise.
It was interesting to hear each one in his turn relate how near upon
certain occasions he came to striking it awfully rich, or what he might
have done if so and so had not occurred, or what he didn’t do and ought
to have done, while another would explain how near he came to making
a big thing if he had only stuck to his claim a little longer, or had
only run his tunnel in a little farther.
Yet another would relate how he spent every dollar upon his claim by
sticking to it a little too long, and found at last to his sorrow that
it was of no value whatever.
And this led to an argument upon the question as to how long a miner
ought to stick to his mine.
Many instances were related to show how a great number missed it by
abandoning a claim too soon, before bed rock had been struck in the
shaft, or gravel in the tunnel; while other cases would be
[Illustration:
Yank. Mike. Jim. Jeff. Jersey. Pike. Tenn. Julius. Boozer.
MEETING OF THE OLD-TIMERS.]
mentioned of how miners had spent their last cent in prospecting a
claim that they ought to have quit long before, as all their friends
advised them to do.
But upon the whole it was the general opinion that owing to the nature
of the business it was very uncertain and difficult to tell exactly
when a miner should abandon his mine, for it was found that after all
it was about an average, since just as many hit it by quitting a mine
as others missed it by hanging on too long, and the number who hit it
by sticking to it about equalled those who missed it by quitting too
soon.
It was, therefore, decided that there was no rule to be governed by in
arriving at a conclusion, but that a miner must use his best judgment
and trust to luck.
One miner related how it was that he missed making a fortune by running
his tunnel a little too “fur” to the right, and another who run his
tunnel a “leetle too fur” to the left. A third, who worked a whole
year in running his tunnel into a hill where the rock was hard, and no
gravel making its appearance, quit in despair, but soon after others
went in to work and running the tunnel but a few feet farther struck
rich gravel.
One old-timer related that in ’53 he and five others worked about
fourteen months in running a tunnel into a rich cement-capped hill,
expecting when they started to strike gravel at least in six or eight
months. The storekeeper in town who was furnishing them with supplies
told them that he would be compelled to close down, for he had not
the means to continue furnishing them. They were in a bad fix, and a
portion of the company were in favor of abandoning the mine at once,
but were finally persuaded to run one more week, and then if not
through the bed rock to quit for good and all.
At noon upon the Saturday following they quit the mine where they had
worked faithfully for more than fourteen months in the hardest kind of
blue porphery, and concluded to try another hill near at hand, where
the prospects seemed more favorable.
In the afternoon five of them donned their store clothes, went into
town and reported to the storekeeper the state of affairs, but promised
to go to work immediately in the ravine and pay up their indebtedness
as soon as possible. The old miner, continuing, said that “one young
chap they called Sandy didn’t go into town with
[Illustration: AN UNEXPECTED FEAST.]
us, but as soon as we had started for town he takes his tools and
candle and goes on a prospecting expedition in the tunnel which we had
abandoned forever.”
When we quit work at noon there was a large block of prophery overhead
which seemed to be loose, but we didn’t think it worth while to remove
it.
Sandy said afterwards that while eating his dinner he was thinking all
the time about that loose rock, and that we ought to have wedged it
out, and that was just what he remained at home for. With the gads and
sledge it soon fell from its place, and upon examination he discovered,
to his astonishment, sand and gravel on its upper side. Upon holding
up his candle he found that we had sure and sartin struck pay gravel.
Sandy tried a pan of it and found it rich beyond all expectation.
Upon our return from town to the cabin at night we found the table all
set in the very highest style of art, and bottles of champagne were
included in the bill of fare. We thought Sandy had gone crazy sure in
thinking perhaps of his great disappointment, but when asked for an
explanation he only pointed at our gold pan which we saw in the center
of the table and resting upon the bottles of champagne. Upon looking
into the pan we saw several dollars’ worth of gold dust in the bottom
of it, and when we asked him where it came from he pointed his finger
in the direction of the tunnel, but we wouldn’t believe a word of it
until we had all marched in, in single file, to the end of the tunnel
and seen with our own eyes the rich gravel above.
Well, we invited in the boys around, and you bet we just made the night
howl. The next day was Sunday and the folks around that camp were
astonished to see the whole of the Buckeye Tunnel Company march into
church dressed in their best for the first time since they had been in
the country. For you see we all felt kinder inclined that way after our
good fortune in striking pay gravel.
And these illustrations led to a discussion by the old miners of the
uncertainty of not only the mining industry, but of human affairs in
general, and old Mike remarked:
“Yis, yis, me b’ys, so goes ther wuorld, for ’tis now yez do and now
yez don’t. And again, jist as ye do ye don’t at all, at all, for ’tis
jist always afther being a leetle too fur to the right, or a leetle
too fur to ther left, de yez see, with all of us. I tell ye, b’ys,
this mining business is afther being like all other kinds of business
jist; ’tis always jist a leetle ahead of us, de yez see, and jist at
that pint when yez are afther ixpecting it ther most, and jist as yez
are commincing to faigure out where yez be afther goin, and what yez
be afther doin, and how yez’ll be afther spinding all your money, do
yez moind, ’tis jist at this pint, me b’ys, ther bed rock kicks up and
shlaps yez in ther face, and thin ther purr divil of a miner curses his
luck, piles his blankets and tools upon his back and thramps around to
find another rich mine that’ll sarve him ther same thrick. But ye ould
miners are always jist afther foinding ther spot thet’ll stick right by
yez, where yez will some day be afther makin yer pile, and ’tis these
ixpectations thet kapes yez agoin’, thrampin around among ther hills,
all over ther country, hunting for that same, but ’tis always jist a
leetle ahead of yez, jist as ’tis in all other kinds of business in
this wuorld. And, be jabers, ’tis moity few of them who are ever afther
catchin up with it at all, at all, do yez moind thin.”
“Yes Mike”, Yank remarked, “all human affairs are mighty uncertain, and
few of us meet with what we expect; but then we must keep pegging away,
and never say die, as long as our grub holds out.”
“Tis thrue for yez, yez must do that same, an’ be jabers thin, yez’l
be afther findin’ some toime, if yez sticks to it faithfully, that yez
will be afther sthriking it rich, and with the bed rock pitchin’ jist
whin yez are ther laist ixpicting it at all, at all, for that’s the way
it works with all of us.”
Then Jersey remarked: “Well, boys, what a heap of trouble, vexation,
and disappointment would be saved in this life, if we all knew just
where and when to begin; where to stop; when to turn a little to the
right, or when to turn a little more to the left, or just how long to
keep a goin’ either way in all of our affairs; then, when we come to
get old, and to look back upon our past life, we would escape from all
the vexation of thinking: oh, now if we had only done so and so at such
a time, if we had only gone a little further to the right upon such
an occasion, or a little further to the left at another time, or had
only quit, or had gone on, or had gone to such a place, how much better
would it have been.”
“No, no: not at all, at all!” interrupted Mike, “for if we was all
afther doin’ that same, we wouldn’t be contint at all, no more than
we are at presint, for then ’twould be ther great quantity we would
all be afther ixpictin’ ther whoile, do yez moind! jist for ther sake
of batin all ther rist of ther bys do yez see, and we wud all be
disappointed ther same, an now, be jabers! ’tis ther best as it is now
in me own opinion afther all. And thin agin’, me by’s, if all ther
knowledge an’ exparience which it takes a life-toime to learn is all
afther bein’ understood in ther begining, ther problem of life wud be
solved; but, be jabers, b’ys, what wud sich a life be good for at all?
Fray from all vexation and trouble, indade thin we wu’d live like ther
baists in ther failds; satisfied and contint under any condition, an’
begorra! we wu’d soon larn to browse by ther wayside, an’ be thankful
for the loikes of it.”
Just at this point another old miner, a long lean specimen of antiquity
from the State of Arkansas, and who had been asleep in the corner, now
aroused up and remarked: “Well boys, that is a fact as Mike says, for
’tis now you do, and then ag’in you don’t; but I never told you boys
how I got skunked once out of a good claim did I? No, for I don’t like
to tell it, for it has sich a smell that it makes me sick.
“But this is how I got left, by going a leettle too fur to the right or
to the left, I never knew which.
“You see ’twas down in Calevaras, along in the spring of 51. I took my
gun one day, and went out a few miles among the hills on a hunt; well I
come across a deep ravine that looked as though it might be tolerable
rich: it never had been prospected much anyway, and I concluded to do
a little panning jest for fun; there were some boys livin’ about two
miles from this ravine that I knew, so I went over to their cabin, and
borrowed a pick, pan and shovel, and I tell you that I struck it rich;
I found the gravel about four feet deep to the bed rock, and I got as
much as ten dollars to a pan. After panning out about $75, I filled up
the hole again, covered it over with brush, so as to make it look jest
natural like, and started for home.
“When I took home ther borrowed tools, the boys wanted to know if I
found anything over in that ravine where I was prospecting? I said no,
nothing much; but they kinder suspicioned from my looks that I had
found good prospects; I hurried home, and made up my mind to git my
tools, mining notice and everything ready, and start out early in the
morning before daylight for my rich ravine.
“Well I was on the way out thar about daylight the next morning, and
went around another way, so them chaps that I borrowed ther tools from
wouldn’t see me.
[Illustration: SKUNKED.]
“When I had got almost to ther ravine, in crossing over a hill, I jest
ran a-foul of a big skunk right in ther trail, I tried to git around
him, but he walked right up towards me, so I threw down my tools,
picked up some rocks, and went for him; but, somehow or other, I
couldn’t hit him, and he jest kept on drivin’ me back down ther hill,
but I picked up a big club and laid him out cold, after foolin’ away
more’n an hour trying to kill ther odoriferous cuss; then I took up my
tools and hurried over ther hill down into my rich ravine.
“But I tell you, boys, jest as soon as I come in sight of it I was mad
clean through, now you bet, for right down thar on my rich claim, and
hard at work, was them chaps that I hed borrowed ther tools of; they
had got ahead of me, while I was foolin’ with that skunk, and hed taken
up the whole ravine.
“I tried to reason with ther fellers, told them that I hed sunk a hole
thar the day before, and had therefore a right to it; they wanted me to
jest show them where I had sunk a prospect hole, so I went to ther pile
of brush, and says I ‘right thar,’ they said thet no hole had ever been
dug thar at all, so I jest kicked away ther brush to show ’em, and I’ll
be dolgerned, if thar wasn’t a slate ledge right under it; them boys
had moved that brush either to the right, or a leetle to the left, so I
couldn’t tell whar ther spot was myself, and thet’s how I got skunked
out of a rich claim.”
“There,” says Tennessee, “now I have found out ther reason why we never
could get old Boozer to play a game of euchre with us, he was afraid of
getting skunked again.”
“Well, now, old pard,” replied Boozer, “I reckon yer hev struck it
right squar on ther head, don’t want any more of the animile in mine.
Why, boys, I hev been studyin’ gee-ology and gee-ography for nigh forty
years, jest to see if I couldn’t find some country whar they don’t
raise skunks, and as soon as I can find one I’m jest agoin’ to emigrate
thar, you bet.”
Another miner now explained how it was that he and three others who
owned a valuable mine up in Nevada County lost it. He explained that it
was an hydraulic mine, and they had used all their means, as well as
more than two years of hard work, to get started in working it, when
up come the officers and forbid them running their tailings into the
creek, and he continued by saying:
“This was an infamous outrage, after having spent our money and
labor, then to be compelled to quit work just because a few little
one-horse ranchers below in the valley made a fuss because our gravel
covered up their potato patches and radish beds. Now it is plain to
any reasonable, sensible man that mining being the chief industry
of the country, and the original industry, too--for ’tis just what
brought us all here and nothing else--we have the first right to mine
or to get the gold from the hills in any manner we see fit; and these
ranchers have no right to settle upon, or to undertake to cultivate the
ground in the valley and on the flats below where our tailings will
lodge. If they do, in my opinion they should be the ones to suffer the
consequence and not the miners. Why, just see the effect of stopping
all of this hydraulic mining. There is $15,000,000 in gold taken from
our money circulation yearly; now how many centuries would it take them
little ranchers to raise that amount of money upon the land that they
say we have ruined forever? Why, they never could do it, and we have
got to lose our valuable mining property jest because the judge is agin
us.”
At this point Mike interrupted the hydraulic miner by asking:
“Do you understhand ther raisons why ther judge was aginst ye?” He said
no, he couldn’t exactly understand it, unless he owned a potato patch
himself somewhere and was afraid it might git covered up.
“No,” says Mike, “that’s not ther raison at all; for don’t yez
know that in a fray counthry ther loikes of this, where ther paple
thimselves are ther rale sovereigns, thin it is recognized be universal
consint, do ye moind, that no man shall be afther following any
business, do yez see, that shall in any manner be afther continually
injuring or destroying ther property of anither.”
“Oh, yes,” replied the miner, “that is all right, but remember that
this is a mining country. We were here first and bought our mining
ground from the government with the privilege of working it to the best
advantage.”
“Faith,” retorted Mike, “‘tis thrue ainough that we miners came here
ther first, but, me b’y, that cannot prevint others from comin’ here
and engagin’ in any other koind of business they plaise. Because we
miners came here first is no raison why we should control ther forest
or ther mountain strames. We would have no right, because we was afther
using ther wathers first to dam them up and prevint thim from running
into ther valleys below. We have a right to moine, that none can deny,
and in any manner we plaise, so that we aren’t afther harmin’ anybody
else; but, begorra, thin, have we a right to wash all ther sile from
ther hills above into ther valleys and straims below jest for ther
gould that’s in thim, and prevint the paple from making an honest
living upon the rich flats and bottom lands, that we wud be afther
covering up with our tailings, begorra. An’ thin agin, if that same
idee or priority of right was the true one, where thin, be jabers, wud
yez be afther stopping, for wouldn’t Mr. Marshall thin who was ther
first diskiverer of gould, have ther right as ther first diskiverer of
bossing ther whole business, be jabers.”
“Well,” says the old miner, “you must admit that the loss to the
country of fifteen millions a year is a heavy one to take from our
money circulation.”
“Indade, thin, yez miners who dig it out from ther sile, are not afther
saying much of ther same. ’Tis thrue that it is not afther drawin
much interest whilst lying idle there in ther hills, but, be jabers,
’tis ther safest place to kape it thin, and yez can always find it,
for there it is; but when ’tis afther gittin into thim bank vaults in
ther big city below, divil a bit are yez afther sayin’ ther color ov
it agin, at all, at all. And thin, agin, me b’y, did yez ever know of
a miner, or many of thim at laist, who was willin’ to pay ther rancher
for ther land, fences, or for ther crops they desthroyed? And indade
thin, are yez yourself willin’ to go and pay for ther damages yez wud
be afther doin’, and don’t yez think that wud be right?”
“Oh, yes, in some cases, if the ranchers would be satisfied with a fair
price for damages.”
“Ah, yis! if they wud only let yez, the miners, assess ther damages
thin, but, begorra, ’twud be little ainough they wud be afther
recaivin, in moi opinion.”
“Well, I admit,” says the miner, “that ’tis very unfortunate. But we
are not responsible for their loss, for the ranchers should not have
made their homes in such localities.”
Jersey now asked Mike if he didn’t think that dams could be constructed
that would prevent the sand and gravel from doing any injury. Mike
answered “that sich dams wud answer only for a toime, for owin’ to
carelessness, accident or bad wuork, ther toime wud come whin ther sand
and gravel in thim dams wud all raich ther lower livils be ther natural
law of gravity, begorra, and for this raison, in me own opinion, it wud
be a waste of toime and money to attempt it; but the only way it can be
done, if at all, wud be to build brush and log dams high up among ther
hills ter kape back ther big rocks and ther coarser stuff, and thin by
ther mains of flumes to run ther sand and finer material out upon ther
tule lands.”
An old rancher now made the remark that in early days he thought the
miners, or at least a portion of them, were rather of a selfish nature,
and were not disposed to pay much respect to the rights of anybody else
but the miners.
“Why, in the opinion of many of them,” said he, “no man had any right
to fence in or to cultivate a piece of ground.”
“A neighbor of mine in ’53, up in Placer County, had a fine garden; but
it happened to be in the way of some miners who were at work above.
They tore down the fence and covered ther garden with tailings, and
refused to pay for any damages, maintaining that the country belonged
exclusively to the miners, and no man had therefore any right to fence
in or to use ground for any other purpose than for mining.”
Another old hydraulic miner now remarked that hydraulic mining did not
cause all the injury to the lands and streams in the valleys below
that it was supposed it did; for the discovery was made by a man up
in the mining region, a very observing man, too, who testified upon
the stand at Sacramento, during the trial between the miners and
ranchers, that a portion of the injury to the farmers, as well as to
the streams, was caused by the tramping of cattle among the hills in
the mountain regions, an’ the heavy rains of winter washed this loose
soil which their hoofs had loosened up into the valleys below, thereby
causing much of the damage which has been heretofore attributed to
mining. “Now,” he asked, “aint that a very ingenious, as well as a very
reasonable view of the question and who can deny it?”
“Yis, indade, thin, it is a very raisonable view of ther question,”
answered Mike, “which none of yez can deny at all: an’ be jabers
thin, he might have included, too, that thim barnyard fowls also in
scratchin’ for ther wurms to fade ther chicky-biddies, loosened up ther
light sile, do yez moind, an’ ’tis ther jint operation ov these two
moity forces, begorra, that not only kiver up an’ destroy the potato,
an’ ther turnip patches of ther farmers, but ’tis thim which fill up
ther navigable straims too, an’ unless previnted in toime, will destroy
thim all, an’, be jabers, they will transform thim big bays below into
shallow swarmps an’ frog ponds. An’ faith thin,” continued Mike, “I’m
afther thinkin’ that ’tis ther jint operation ov these same tirific
fowl an’ cloven hoofed forces, from havin’ been continualy in operation
through long pariods of toime, do yez moind, that have scooped out
thim dape cañons, an’ goughed out thim dape channels ov thim mountain
straims, too, do yez see; which has been wrongfully attributed by
all ov thim scientific b’ys, as an effect of volcanic an’ of glacial
action, begorra.”
Jim now enquired of Mike, if the fact of their desire to work their
mines was, in his opinion, an evidence that the miners were of a
more selfish nature than any other class of men, or more inclined to
encroach upon the rights of others? “No, indade, not at all!” Mike
answered, “but ’tis only in ther opportunity that yez have of showing
it thin, owing intoirly to ther conflict betwain ther two intherists,
that is av ranching an’ minin’, for human nature is afther being ther
same in both ov yez; an’ be jabers! if thim hydraulic miners was after
changing places wid ther ranchers, do yez suppose ther latter wud be
afther stopping ther minin’ business, for fear of injurin’ ther b’ys
below, any quicker than ther prisent miners wud do? Divil a bit wud
they be afther doin’ that same, for, indade, me by’s, we are all ov
us afther being built of ther same material, an’ be jabers! ’tis our
interests which detarmines ther view that we take ov things after all.
An’ indade thin,” continued Mike, “I remember a case that occurred
up in ther mountains in early days, that illustrates this p’int. A
miner tore down the fence, an’ run his tailin’s upon the garden ov a
neighbor, ah’ to hear this miner talk ov his rights when the gardner
objected to the outrage, be jabers, yez wud jest be afther concludin
that the great Jehovah made ther counthry ixpresly for ther miner, an’
that noboby else hed any business here at all, an’ that this stoyle ov
man, ther miner, was the only one worth ther trouble av putting ther
breath av life into at all! at all!
“Well now, do yez moind, it happened a few years afther that this same
miner was afther tryin’ ther business of ranchin’ himself, an’ about
ther same toime, too, this gardner sold out his ranch an’ followed ther
business ov minin’ and, quare enough, he found a good prospect upon
ther ranch ov ther other chap, an’ now be jabers! here was ther case
jest after bein’ revarsed.
“It wud hev done yer sowl good to hear this ould rancher, who was now
afther bein’ a miner, jest give it to ther ould miner who was now
afther ranchin’, an’ he paid him off swately in his own kine, begorra!
Well, afther quarrellin’ awhoile about ther rights of aich one, they
finally was afther concludin’ that both of thim had certain rights, an’
if they were careful and aich one of thim to do ther fair thing, there
wud be no throuble at all, at all, so ther miner agreed to do as little
harrum as possible and fill up his diggings again.”
Jeff now inquired of Mike if he didn’t consider it a great injury to
the country in general, but more especially to the working classes,
shutting down the hydraulic mines, consequently taking such a large
amount of money from our circulation?
“Ah, yis,” said Mike, “indade thin ’twud be a blessing to ther workin’
men of ther counthry to have that same in circulation among thim, if
they was afther handling much of the same; but, me b’ys, I tell yez
that ther workingmen of the counthry have but little opportunity av
aither saing or handling much av ther same at ail, at all.”
“But,” queried another, “in the circulation of money each one gets his
share, does he not?”
“So he ought, thin, if he was afther earning the same; but divil a
bit is he afther doin’ anything ov ther koind, an’ for this raisin,
me b’ys, that if that same was ther rule, why, ’tis plain enough, do
yez moind, that ther more gould there was afther bein’ scattered about
among us, ther greater quantity aich one av us wud be afther gittin’
hould ov, sure. But do yez moind, thin, it don’t wurruk that way at
all, at all. It is not becase thim b’ys who hev scraped togither ther
biggest share ov money are more selfish than any the rest ov thim,
devil a bit, but, b’ys, ’tis in ther nature ov gould itself, which is
afther follerin’ a law of its own, begob! an’ has a way ov scrapin’
itself in a hape into ther hands ov a few of ther b’ys, who have
already more than they are afther having any use for. And ’tis for that
raison, b’ys, that in me own opinion ’tis jest as well for that gould
to remain in thim hills where it belongs, and kape it out of their
hands.”
“Ah, Mike, but that’s a wrong idea you’ve got about money,” remarked
Jeff. “Fifteen millions a year from the money circulation means poverty
to many a poor family. Why, what would your little ranch be worth, with
its grapevines and its peach trees, if we should all quit mining? Ain’t
it us miners who give you a market for your stuff?”
“Oh, yis, me b’y, to some extint ’tis thrue that we depind on you
miners to buy much ov our stuff, but not entoirly, thin, begorra!
Ain’t it thrue ainough that as ther yaild from ther mines decreases
other industries are containually improvin’ ther whoile in ther same
proportion, be jabers? Indade, thin, to hear some of yez old miners
talk, we’d be afther thinkin’ that if mining wud stop entoirely the
earth itself wud stop revolving upon its axis thin, an’, be jabers,
all human affairs, too, would jest be afther remaining stationary. But
divil a bit wud sich a state of affairs occur at all, at all! Thim
river mines and ther quartz ledges will continue to yaild sufficient
gould for ther business of ther counthry for hundreds of years yit,
without the necessity in me own opinion ov coverin’ up and destroyin’
ther property or ov fillin’ up ther straims below.”
“Oh, yes,” said the old hydraulic miner, “that is all very well, but
what’s to become of all of us miners who are depending for our living
upon the hydraulic mines, and how are we to support our families?”
“Be jabers, thin!” answered Mike, “yez can be afther doin’ what a hape
ov other ould moiners have done, thin, who loike meself couldn’t make a
dacent living at ther business, begorra; fince in thin a paice ov the
sile, an’ plant into it thim grape vines, ther fruit trees, an’ ther
loikes ov thim, an’ be jabers yez’ll be afther foindin in a short toime
that ’tis ther best an’ ther aisiest way ov fightin the battle ov life;
lyin’ in ambush for yer inimies among the grape vines an’ trees ov ther
paich orchard, or skarmishin’ with distiny from behind a gardin fince,
begorra! For do yez moind, thin, an’ ’aint ther taties, ther cabbages,
ther fruit trees an’ ther loikes of thim, afther growin’ ther whoile
whin yez are slapein. Now, me b’ys, jest be afther doin’ that same and
yez niver’ll be sighin’ or gravin’ for ther loss ov thim hydraulic
pipes that are ther whole toime throwin’ thim grand ould hills into
ther vallies below, be jabers!
“And indade, thin, in obsarving ther immense power ov wather, the aise
and ther great ripidity that yez have in washin’ away thim big hills
from above, I have been afther thinkin’ to meself what a foine hand
ther Prophet Mahomet wud be after houldin’ if he could only descind
with his followers from ther heavenly regions above, an’ strike bottom
up in the Sacramento valley.
“Wudn’t ther b’ys jest, with thim hydraulic giants, be moighty willin’
to accommodate ther auld gintlemen, whin he demanded one of thim big
hills above to jest be afther comin’ down to him thin, an’ they wud
sind it down to him by the aisiest an’ quickest mode of conveyance, be
jabers; they wud ship it by wather, C. O. D., comin’ on demand, do yez
moind, an’ begorra! wudn’t ther ould gintlemen jest be afther houldin’
a strait flush, thin, faith an’ he wud.”
[Illustration: MAHOMET HOLDS A FLUSH.]