THE SUMPTER MINER
Wednesday, February 18190$
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A MINERS
LIFE
DESCRIBED
FROM A TENDERFOOT HE BE
COMES A SKILLED WORKMAN.
Some of the Various Dtgrres Through
Which an Undcground Miner Muil Pats
Before He is a Past Matter of the Art
Hla Longing to Strike it Rich for
Himtelf.
The. vocation of tho mincris inoro or
less.hatardotiH, Imt 1h tilled with a degree
of excitement. No matter whether liu Imi
working in tliu hardest kind of borusea,
lio !h always looking anxiotiHly to see
what tliu nuxt Hhot will bring forth.
Kvory changu in tliu rocky fitcu of tliu
tunnel or shaft liu may bo working in.
1h carefully noted, iiml tho hoK) that tliu
iioxlhlaHt will bring him into honauzit,
never weakens.
This Iiomi, itnil tliu consequent ox
citumuiit, cauHuH li I tit to laltor harder
without feeling ItH effects at tho timu,
than liu would if pursuing soinu oilier
form of employment. It matturH not
whether tlm miner Ih working for him
tuslf, for an individual or for hoiiiu strong
company, his interests in what may bu
heforu him in tho unexplored rocky
harrier, Ih JiihI un great.
lo Imicoiiiu 11 skilled miner ouu Iiiih to
work up through various stages. First,
hu umially begins iih a surface hand, or
hu may hu put to work running a car.
In Oiiho metal inlueH of tun tliu Htep Ih
from outMido laborer to oru uortur, then
windlass man. From iIiIh hu may lw
aunt t ill farther under ground and bu
put to lllliiig buckets or ((hoveling into
a car.
If IiIh aiubitloii in to hu n miner, liu
longs for tliu timu to coiiiu when tliu
shift boMH will glvo him a hammer, this
means that hu Ih a full Hedged miner
and can Htriku down u holu or "twist
tliu drill" whllu bin partner strikes it.
If the ground Ih soft ho that tliu single
handed method of drilling Ih in vogue,
hu Iiiih jitHt iih great ambition to secure
a single hand hammer iih a "two hand
d"ono. Theru aru, however, ho many different
kinds of iiiIiich, worked on hucIi
different prlneipleH, that it in a dllllcult
matter to describe the modiiH operandi
of thu tenderfoot's evolution from bin
callow ilayH until hu in pant master in
IiIh i'IkWuii occupation. Some miiieH an)
worked on a small tcalu and otherH in a
much larger manner. Hence thu
method at ouu mine may not apply at
another.
However when bin "digging clothi'H"
aru well covered with candle grease,
and hu jh the owner of Iiim individual
caudle Mick, hu Iiiih thu coulldeucu and
axi-uriiuco to present liimtielf to any
foreman and ak (or a job. li matturH
not whether It ih hbalt, tunnel, drift,
wiiue, HtoHi or upraise, hu in at home
wherever Iio.Ih placed.
Although thu work ih hard, in a
ineamro dangerouH, and thu vocation
keeps ouu shut out, or rather Hhut in
from tliu glorious daylight, jet the
miners employment jh (minuting.
There in always a degree of anticipation
about it which HinootbeH off thu bard
toil. Thu desire to wrest Hometbing not
Keen Uiloro from thu unyielding rocks,
is an incentive.
Disagreeable as a miners task may be
in many instances, as a rulo thu law
makers have looked after his safety
while lie is under , ground. l.aws usual
ly say that thu mine shall be well
timbered, that all ropes, cables etc.,
Hbull bu strong, and that only compet
ent iwntoiiB Bhall have charge of the
engines and the hoisting gear. In many
other ways his life and limb are safe
guarded, or at least should be.
Outside thu depths of thu mine, whose
comfort iH better looked after than the
miners? As a general rule lie is com
fortably housed, his quarters, whether
they bu bunk house or cabin, are al
ways warm and kept clean. His food
usually consists of the best that can be
obtained in the market, and it is pre
pared by the best cooks to be bad in a
mining district.
Uf late years big mining companies
have been providing reading rooms and
libraries for their workmen, so that
when they are "off shift," they can im
prove their minds by reading some in
teresting book, the maguzlues or late
papers.
Add to the above that he receives
about as high a ratu of wages as uny
skilled workman, and that pay day is as
regular as thu tick of a clock, and the
man who iligs a product from thu earth
which has no body's blood or tears on It,
has about as happy a timu of it, as is
usually enjoyed by mankind.
To "wlnke it rich" for himself is one
laudihlu purpoHu of thu miner. He
loves to read about Mackuy, Fair, Flood
and O'lliiuu of the old UonistoeV de
parted glory, of "Tommy" Cruse, who
Htruck it in thu Drum Ltiinmou and Is
now worth 17,000,000, ami John Kly
and others of I'iochu, who had millions
but now haven't a cent.
Often he longs for tliu day when he
can ride in a palace car and cross thu
ocean on ouu of thu modern greyhounds
that swiftly ply from shore to shore.
Ilu has worked with other miners who
have done this after da mo forttinu has
amilud on them, and why may not thu
tickle goddess yet shower her favors on
himY
Victor Mining Co. J
THE FIRST BLOCK
OF TREASURY STOCK IS NOW ON
THE MARKET
LOCATED
IN THE RED BOY
DISTRICT
THE PROPERTY
HAS BEEN WORKED ON FOR: THE T
PAST TWO YEARS
VALUES RUN
FROM $50 TO $300 PER TON IN 4
GOLD AND SILVER
PIONEER MINER AND JOURNALIST
Comprehensive Description of the Sumpter
District Will be Given.
II. J. Watson, representing tho Kn-
gineerlng and Mining Journal of New-
York, ami thu Pacific Coast Miner, of
San Francisco, Is now in thu Sumpter
district, taking notes, securing photo
graphic views, etc., for the purposu of
publishing a comprehensive description
of iIiIh region.
Mr. Watson is a California pioneer,
both in thu fields of mining and thu
journalistic art. Having had a thor
ough, practical training among tho
mincH and reduction plants, !iu is more
capable of formulating that which hu
observes in a mining way than were ho
a tyro in thu business.
Tliu F.nglucuriug and Mining Journal
has purchased and now controls thu
I'acillc Coast Miner. And no doubt Mr,
Watson will contribute to both journ
al Mr. Wiition has been interested
in thu mines of this section for soinu
time, and now owns a couple of claims
in thu Cracker Creek belt.
Found a New Mining District.
Jou ManaudiiK, thu veteran prospector,
returned yesterday from thu recently
discovered gold property lying twelve
miles northwest of llaker City in the
North Powder district, wdlch belongs to
him tuid associates. J. It. lltirne, J. V.
Ilenues and William Parker, and which
they have been working for a number
of months past, bringing with hint some
splendid samples of ore. They struck a
very rich ledge of considerable width,
several days ago, ami the ore carries
high values in gold sulphides and Pea
cock coper. The boya are greatly re
joiced over their strike and will at once
,tako steps to develop the property Into.
a mine. Democrat.
W
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ADDRESS
G. M. Rockwell Sc Co.
701-702 Herman BIdg.
Milwaukee, Wis.
WM. H. TIBBALS, President.
SEYMOUR II. BELL, Manager.
I.. a a. a, ....i... a. a. ......... a
WHEELER&CE.
BANKERS
32 Broadway, Naw York
FISCAL AGENTS FOR
BLUE BIRD MINING CO.
AND
VALLEY QUEEN MINING CO.
Writo for Prospectus. Mention No. CO nntl wo will send you a copy
of "OREGON'S RESOURCES," an illustrated pamphlet on Ore
gon's l'mnous gold mines, mid u three months trial subscription to tho
NORTH AMERICAN MINER
IF YOU WISH TO
iENfvTEST"5si" Sning (
tltlillltlllKMIIiltllltl
Either to buy Gilt Edge 'Stocks, a Prospect
that is "the Making of a Mine," or one that
is already made, write me what you want
and permit me to submit a proposition.
ADDRESS
SUMPTER,
MINES AND MINING STOCKS
OREGON
.
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