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on the floor or on the outside in the snow. I rolled up in my blanket. Some had buffalo skins. These were fine in a snow bed. My blanket was very short and light. My boots were also light. I was getting a whole lot of experience. Many of the men were rough and drunk. It was my good luck to meet a man there who was looking for a place to lie down and get some rest and sleep. He said, "Pard, I am hunting a spot, too." I said, "Yes, there's a place over there among that crowd lying on the floor."
I was fortunate in meeting this man whose name was HARRIS. He told me he was a merchant going to see about finding a location in Leadville. As we stepped over men lying around on the floor we came to a small place just large enough for us both to lie down. My blanket was small and too light for stormy weather. He had a large buffalo robe which covered both of us. It kept me warm all night. When morning came it was still snowing. Men were in groups talking about venturing over the mountains. Many of them advised us not to risk it as the trail was covered with several feet of snow. They were all eager to reach Leadville as soon as possible, but decided to wait for the storm to cease.
While we were waiting, my friend HARRIS said to me, "Pard, your boots are not heavy enough for this snowy country. There is not a place nearer than Denver to buy them. I can help you." He looked around and found a coffee sack and some twine. I did not know that the coffee sack was called a "gunny sack". He cut the sack in two; one part he wrapped around my boot, commencing at the toe of my boot
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and up to my knee; then he laced twine over it. He did the same with the other part of the sack, making it more comfortable for walking in deep snow. I was certainly getting new experiences. I had always thought I could face any snow storm. We live to learn. My condition was good. I had two loaves of bread inside the lining of a short overcoat with two pounds of bolony.
Then came word that the storm was ceasing and to get ready to go and that some men with cattle would lead the way and we were to follow in their tracks. We started but could not see the front of the line nor the end. I noticed all of them had blankets over their heads for protection when the top of the mountain was reached. A wise precaution. The wind was terrific. We could not speak with each other nor could we look up. We kept our eyes on the tracks in the snow. It was impossible to look up. At last the mountain top was reached and we began to descend. For some distance down we could hear the storm still roaring above us. As far as I know we all got over safely. We were traveling now with less effort. The lower altitude made breathing easier. The snow was two feet deep. This was now being packed on top of snow that had fallen earlier and was tramped down by men and animals going to Leadville.
I have seen scores of fine looking horses, lying dead, along the side of the narrow trail. They had slipped off the trail into deeper snow and it was very difficult to get them back on the trail. Many had died from being driven too hard. Their hearts would stop suddenly. I left Denver early Sunday morning and
49
arrived at Leadville late Thursday evening, nearly five days tramping in the snow and it was still snowing.
I thought of my friend, HARRIS. I missed him as we lined up to go over the mountain peak. The "gunny sack" he wrapped and laced over my light boots was still in fair condition. I was told that it was hard to find a place to sleep. I came to a low shed that had been hurriedly built. I found a place to lie down on the rough floor among others at a cost of 50 cents per night. There was no undressing, but just rolled up in your own blanket. I soon fell asleep as I had walked nearly two hundred miles.
A little after midnight, I was awakened by a big burly man with a candle in his hand and a pistol in the other, demanding to know who I was. I told him who I was and that I was hunting for work and that I had only slept a few hours. He told me that some S. of a B. had committed a nuisance on the floor and that he would kill him if he could find him. The odor was strong. I went back to sleep again.
Early in the morning, I was awakened by men talking around me and hurrying to get out to stake out lots for building purposes. It was government land. Any land that was not staked, you had a right to stake it by placing light logs in form as if you were going to build. This would hold a lot for six days. By that time you were supposed to make some improvement on it to keep possession of it longer. As there were thousands of fallen fir trees, that had fallen and dried up lying around, it was easy to put logs up. Hundreds
50
of men were doing this and they all expected to realize on them in this silver mining camp rush.
It was all strange to me, but I was learning slowly. My only thought was to hunt a job of any kind. I walked around and listened to rough men with two guns hanging on their belts. They were talking of silver strikes in different places. Looking up the street, I noticed a man loading a pack on a burro. As I stood by, a hand was placed on my shoulder. I turned to see who it was and the man said, "Pard, are you looking for a job?" I told him that I was. I was weary looking for it.
I looked him over and had a feeling that he was all right. He told me he was up against it now looking for work of some kind. He had only been here a few days. Had just come from Texas and had had bad luck there by fire which burned up $8,000.00 worth of ties for a new railroad. We walked around and found a man who wanted an out-house moved and then wanted a stable built. We purchased a hand saw and a hatchet and went to work and finished the job. It was built of rough lumber.
We walked around some more and heard some men saying that a business man would grub stake two men. We hunted him up and made arrangements to meet him next day. We met at a supply store. He purchased the supplies and told us that we should go with him to a new mining field about thirty miles away. New strikes were being made in silver and miners were rushing to new fields.
Our sled was finally loaded and pulled by two
51
horses. In one place the driver said, "We are on top of a divide. This is a small pond of water. Should you kick some water that way it would go into the Pacific Ocean. Then do the same on the other side and it would go into the Atlantic Ocean. One by way of the Arkansas River and the other by way of the Colorado River." All around, the scenery was wonderful. Mountains were covered with snow. At the foot of the mountains, there was a ring of green fir trees, giving them grandeur.
We could not linger. The shades of night would be coming soon and we must be at the camp, miles away, so we hurried on. I noticed a whole side of beef lying in the snow. The driver said it must have fallen off the sled of someone going ahead. He said it would not spoil for sixty days or more. The road we were now on connected Leadville and Georgetown, a mining town further north. It was near getting dark with a few miles to go. At last the driver stopped and said here we must unload. After unloading we stood around awhile, my partner and I, deciding whether we should sleep here or not. All around it was very dark. Suddenly we saw a light a few hundred feet away. We both went in the direction that we saw the light. We found a cabin with two men in it.
We knocked on the door and a voice said, "Come in." I told them we had a load of supplies unloaded at the trail and wanted some place to sleep. They were kind enough to give us a place. We carried our supplies to the cabin. They told us they were prospectors. We told them that we were hungry and would like to have something to eat and some hot coffee. We had
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flour and coffee which we had brought from Leadville. I never had any experience in making biscuits or coffee. I watched very closely how one of those men made it. All cooking was done on a light sheet-iron wood stove, very light to pack and carry over mountains. A mixture of flour, baking powder and water poured in a square tin pan, then placed in the oven and quickly baked. My partner and I enjoyed this quick lunch. We slept on the cabin floor that night. Next morning we looked around. We were informed that there was a tent close by where we could send and receive mail. It was called "ALEY's and DUN's tent". Another place close by just forming, was called "Kokomo".
As there were many shafts being operated, prospecting for ore was profitable. Some of them had found paying ore. Many claims had been staked out. A claim was 1500 feet by 500 feet, all Government land. My partner, Frank BRISBANE, decided that we would prospect on the other side of the mountain From where we stood. We carried our supplies across a flat bottom of land
about one and a half miles to a place where it was thickly timbered with fir trees. Having no nails, we placed a pole across between two trees resting on branches. Then we cut the tops off of other trees leaning on one side of the pole, then covered them over thickly with branches to keep the snow off our bed. We scattered small branches in one corner to sleep on. The top of the trees we used for a door. We had been told that wild animals were around.
After sleeping quarters were finished, we located nearby, a place to sink the shaft. We had nothing to
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guide us that mineral would be found in that place. Snow was several feet deep everywhere. We just took a chance and sank a shaft down 65 feet. No sign of mineral was found. My partner BRISBANE began to complain and was getting more discouraged every day. He said he was not used to living like this and that he had a good home in Saginaw, Michigan; had a wife and two children. We would both try and sing some song to try to keep from getting too lonesome when the shades of night would come. He left and went back to Leadville and found a job as clerk in the Clarendon Hotel that had just been built, on a salary of $125.00 per month.
Prospecting to me was fine, but I had my wife and two small children depending on my earnings. While I was prospecting, I was not earning but spending. One day I went over to "ALEY and DUN's tent" to look for mail. I received a letter that my son, Louis, had died suddenly. He was only fourteen months old. He was buried several weeks before I received word. Mail was slow in those days.
While at ALEY's tent I heard that men were wanted to shovel snow on a stage route and that they would pay four dollars per day and so I went to work. I noticed that some men had goggles on, protection for their eyes. I did not do anything to mine, thinking they were strong enough to stand the glare of the sun on glistening snow. After a week's work my eyes began to trouble me. I had to stay in the Spruce House for several days. It seemed like they were full of sand. It was hard to keep them open or shut. Let
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me say I was getting a whole lot of western experience that one cannot forget.
After my eyes were strong enough I decided that I would go to the top of a very high mountain peak. I could see a dark formation of rock that looked very much like a coal seam. I prepared two pieces of light box board three feet long and ten inches wide. I cut holes through them with my pocket knife so I could tie them on my boots with strong cord. Without this protection I would sink deep in soft snow. When I reached the steep part of the mountain I could take them off and carry them with me. I rose early the next morning. The sun was shining and I saw it would be a nice day. I shuffled along on my home-made snow shoes. I noticed several large jack rabbits would sit up and look at me, only a few feet away. I knew I would have to keep moving to find my way to the top of the peak. I heard the peak was 14,000 feet high. It would take some effort to get there.
I had to walk in a gulch called "May Flower". I notice heavy tracks in the snow going in the direction that I was going, so I took my heavy pocket knife and cut a good sized club from a fir tree. As I moved along, the tracks turned to the right behind a large boulder. The tracks made were larger than a man's fist and about one foot apart. I kept on going until I reached the foot of the mountain. I started to climb slowly. Breathing was difficult in that high altitude. The higher I went, the more difficult it was to breathe. I was determined not to give up. I rested a few minutes at a time to get my breathing more regular. I felt strong as I was in good condition. At last, I reached
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rocky ground. Above the cliffs ahead of me was gently rising ground. I could not see the top nor could I stand up and walk. I got down on my hands and feet. I could then only go thirty feet without stopping. I was getting some more experience of the great Rockies.
I kept moving slowly upward looking toward the top and using all my will power to keep going on. I noticed some small animal nearly the size of a small rabbit, (white) and also a bird the size of a quail and as white as the snow. It made a peculiar noise. It was hard to see them unless they were moving for all was pure white around them. After eight hours of climbing, I reached the top of the peak. I would not look around until I got my breathing right, then I stood up on my feet. I felt something give way at the very bottom of my lungs. Then I felt it roll up in my throat. I spat it down at my feet. It was three small dry balls of anthracite coal dust. There was no pain nor any blood. I was aware that it occurs at high altitudes. Nor did I feel any great distress when I stood still.
The sun was shining brightly and the wind was not stirring. That was something unusual. Where I stood, the snow had been blown clear away. I looked toward the east. What a wonderful view right at my feet. You could look down three thousand feet. Mountain after mountain could be seen as far as the range of my eyes could see. Glistening lakes among the mountains, making a picture not often seen nor ever forgotten. Then I turned and looked west and another magnificent scene was before me to gaze upon. As I looked I could see the Mount of the Holy Cross. I had
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heard of it and now I could see it. It appeared to be less than fifty miles away. It was hard to leave such a wonderful view. I almost forgot what I had struggled up the mountain for. I looked along the side of the peak and saw the dark croppings on my right. Making my way toward it, I came suddenly to a gap, fully 150 feet across it. This could not be seen at the foot of the mountain. There was no way only by going down to the foot of the mountain and making another effort. I could now feel a gentle wind stirring.
I made haste to go down and sat on my snow shoes and slid down some distance to the cliffs. It was late that day when I reached my bush cabin. I slept very soundly that night. The next morning I decided to investigate "May Flower Gulch", less than a mile away, which led me up to the top of the range that I was on yesterday. As I traveled up the gulch I noticed what looked to me like a small mound of snow. I went to it, brushed the snow off with my foot and found ore. It looked like dark iron ore. Someone had been there before me and dug it up. Having no shovel to move the snow, I could not see the place where it came from as it was on a line with a cropping on top of the high peak which I had tried to reach the day before. As all land around was Government land, the first prospector has a right to place stakes with marks stating his claim. A claim in Lake County, Colorado, is 500 feet wide by 1500 feet long. You are supposed, after you stake a claim to do a certain amount of work on it every year to hold it, according to Government law.
A few days before my partner, Frank BRISBANE left me to go back to Leadville, we made a trip to Elk
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Mountain, only a few miles away, having heard that silver was found there in places. We took just enough food along for one day and also some tools to work with. We prospected on the south side of the mountain. In many places the snow had melted away around sage brushes exposing the surface. Many prairie chickens would fly a short distance away and look at us, probably never having heard the sound of a gun. We could also see many large bones lying around, supposed to be elk bones or mountain sheep bones that had died years before. The Ute Tribe of Indians reservation is not far from this mountain. Prospectors were not allowed on their land. I could see prospectors' holes and shafts with windlass on them, but no miners were in sight. Some were located on ore seams, but other shafts had not yet found ore. BRISBANE and I found good cropping indications of ore after digging and following the ore cropping. I would give out at times and BRISBANE would shout out, "This looks good. Right now I would not sell this property for anything." Then he would say, "FRANCIS, what will you take for your part?" In a few hours more digging it gave out. We both felt discouraged over it.
The next day BRISBANE left me and went to Leadville to clerk in the Claredon Hotel which had recently been built. Two months later I met him in Leadville. One day a man came to my brush home and said his name was William JAMES and that he was from Joplin, Missouri. He said that he was just looking around and that he had followed the snow tracks which led him up there. I said to him, "You are of Welsh nationality." He said , "Yes, my people are in Wales, but I
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can not speak Welsh." He was short of stature and heavy built and about thirty-five years old. We discussed conditions around us and decided to be partners. He left me saying he would be back in a few days with his pack.
I was glad to have another partner. I was very lonesome when the night came. I had been alone two weeks. I would listen to the sighing of the wind in the tree tops. It was interesting to see squirrels by the hundreds leaping from one branch to another just before sundown, then the stillness of night came on and I was alone with my thoughts, thinking of home and those left behind with its comforts; but I stopped dreaming. I had come here for a purpose and I must carry it out.
When morning came, I could see fresh tracks of different animals
in the snow around the cabin. Having no gun of any kind, I kept a
heavy axe at the head of my bed when I slept. There was no door to
the cabin. The tope of the trees served for a door. My bed
was a blanket with small spruce branches laid one foot thick on poles.
I called it a Colorado feather bed.
While waiting for my new partner to come, a man from "ALEY's
and DUN's Tent" brought me news that two men from Pennsylvania wanted to
see me. I went back with them. This place took the place of
the post office. It was there I sent and received mail. I was
surprised to meet Richard MEYRICK, my father-in-law, and William REESE,
both from Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania. MEYRICK was an old 1849 California
miner and he wanted to try it again in this desert.
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After our greeting MEYRICK said, "We must leave in the morning. Neither of us can breathe in this high altitude." As there was no place to sleep here they got their packs together and started over to my shack. I had to carry both packs. Both of them were past middle age and were troubled with coal miners' asthma. It was difficult for them to breathe regularly, neither could they do any work. When morning came I started them back to Leadville and from there they went by stage to Denver. Two years later I met them both in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania. They said they were both glad to get away from that climate.
The following day my new partner, JAMES, came back with his pack. That night we discussed the situation around us. As he was the oldest, I let him take the lead. We decided to go down Eagle River for one day and look for prospects. The next morning we had early breakfast: biscuits, beans and coffee. We took away a few extra biscuits. In many places, the top of the snow was firm enough to hold one's weight from breaking through as the snow was deep. Many times we would break through, delaying us and making our trip slow and tiresome. My partner, JAMES, was a slower walker than I was. I would have to stop and wait for him. Our plan was to go down Eagle River as far as we could. Then turn to the right and come back by the way of Elk Mountain-a high mountain.
As we traveled onward, we came to a place where several large trees were recently cut down as if some prospector or hunter was going to build a cabin, but no one was seen near. We went on some distance
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further. Suddenly we heard in the distance a rumbling sound.
As we continued on, the sound was getting louder and we decided it was
a waterfall. Both of us wanted to see it. On our right there
was a gulch leading up to the place where a large body of solid water fell
over a cliff nearly 100 feet high with a continuous roar. It was
impossible for us to speak to one another and be heard. We could
only motion to each other. Mountains around us were like huge bee
hives towering up into the sky. We could not see the tops, they were
so close together. It was very easy to get lost or to lose our sense
of direction.
It was now afternoon and getting shady as if snow would come.
If we should be caught by it we would be in a bad fix. We knew many
prospectors who had lost their lives in just such surroundings as we were
now in should a storm come up. Signs were now appearing that one
was on the way. We now turned our faces back toward the place we
started from by going over Elk Mountain. Just as we got above the
timber line the snow commenced to fall slowly. By hurrying on I thought
we could get across before the snow fell thickly and prevented us from
seeing our way ahead, as there were no markers or signs to guide us.
Before we reached the top of the mountain the snow began falling thickly.
A slight wind commenced to blow by the time we reached the top. It was terrific, almost lifting us off our feet and every minute getting stronger. We had a feeling that we must leave as soon as possible. It was impossible for us to speak with each other on account of the velocity of the wind. I have always had
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a good sense of direction and felt sure of the way I was going although I had no guide to go by. My experience in coal mining helped me now. I made motions to my partner by pointing in a certain direction. He pointed in another direction and started away from me. I did not know how much experience he had had in this kind of weather and on a mountain top and thinking also that it would not do for us to separate, I gave in and followed him.
I had noticed that when we reached the top of the mountain we turned slightly to the right. I now had a feeling that he was going down another gulch in the direction of the waterfall. We traveled down the gulch and when we got down into the timber line of spruce and fir, we could speak to each other. The storm was now raging overhead and it was still snowing heavily. I spoke to JAMES and told him that we were going the wrong way, that we were turning away from ALEY and DUNN's Tent, but he argued against me. I tried to convince him where he made his mistake when he turned to the right on the top of the mountain and kept leaning to the right for some distance on account of the strong wind blowing against our left side and forcing us to the right more and more as we struggled along. The shades of night were coming on fast. We were getting hungry and our struggles through deep snow were using up our strength. The more we argued about the right direction to go, the more bitterness came into our voices and finally we both stopped saying anything. Who was right and who was wrong? I turned to my partner and said to him, "Well then if it must be, you take the lead and I will follow." He
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started and went some distance. We walked on some distance. It was now getting darker and the snow continued to fall heavily. The wind was moaning in the tops of the trees. I did not feel any bitter cold. All our walking was done in silence. At times I felt like leaving him, knowing that I was risking my life by following him. Should we continue on much further we would get bewildered and lose our sense of direction. That is the end of many prospecting miners. We were both aware of this danger. JAMES stopped. We both stood still. I could see fear in my partner's face. I spoke to him and said, "Bill, we are lost", with a voice that had a tremor in it. He said, "Yes, I believe we are."
Knowing it was useless for me to again bring up argument as to where he lost his course on top of the range, I did tell him that I thought we were now between seven and eight miles from the top of the range and if we want to get our bearings right again we must locate the waterfall we found this morning. So we continued on in silence. I took the lead because I could see Bill was getting worried and also tired and hungry and walking slower every hour. Being heavier than me, he was a slower walker. At last I heard a sound like distant thunder miles away. We came to the foot of the gulch where the waterfalls were located, then we turned our faces east. We kept on struggling through the snow.
After walking several miles Bill took the lead again. I noticed that he turned off at a right angle from the course that I thought we should take. It was still snowing heavily. I called to him. He was
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going off the course we should go. He said, "No, that he was on the right course for DUNN's Tent." I told him we were not and that I would not follow him going that way. Right there and then we separated. Every once in a while I could hear his voice calling and I would answer back. We got further apart until we could hear no sound from each other. It was now near midnight and each one of us for himself.
This year, 1879, May 13th, brings back memories of hard struggles for mind and body. Let me describe my feelings on this date. When I told my partner we were lost his answer was, "Yes." He said it in such a manner that it left no hope that we could find our way out. For myself, I was not sure. We could hear water falling. My partner was silent and gloomy and it was making its impression on me. The surroundings we were in added to our feelings and I wondered if this was my end and would I ever see my wife and children again.
Such thoughts would come over me as we walked silently along and listened for the waterfalls. If the worst came I would keep struggling on as long as my strength held out. When the location was found a feeling of relief came, although we would have to travel some distance to be safe. When Bill and myself separated, I kept on a course that only my sense of direction gave me. A thought came to mind that I might come to a place where trees had been recently cut down. Snow was still falling, now more slowly. Suddenly I thought I saw a flash of light ahead of me. I stood still and waited, thinking I might see it again, but did not. I kept on my course and saw a light
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again. I kept on a direct line to it. I noticed it was a candle light in a newly built log cabin. The snow ceased, making it easier for me to find my way. I approached the cabin, found the door and knocked. A voice said, "Hello! Who's there?" I answered that I was lost in the snow storm and wanted to know my way to DUNN's Tent. I did not expect him to open the door and let me in and he did not. He told me that trees were newly barked 5 feet above around every 60 feet back of the cabin and the distance to DUNN's Tent was three and one-half miles. For more than twenty hours I had very hard walking without a rest. I was getting tired, but a few miles more did not discourage me because I now felt safe. I followed the blazed marks on trees and at last reached DUNN's Tent.
I called them up and told them who I was and that I was hungry and tired. They let me in and warmed some coffee and biscuits. I soon felt strong again. I told them that my partner, Bill JAMES and myself, separated and that we could not agree about the direction we should take. I told them that the distance from here to where we separated would be, according to my guess, about eight miles. They said that if he should keep on the same course he was on when he left you, he would most likely hit the new stage road being cut through the snow between Leadville and here. They thought it best to wait eight or ten hours and should he not turn up by that time we would try and get a party and trace him up.
The following afternoon my partner, JAMES, came struggling into DUNN's Tent, a hungry and tired man. He was surprised to find me there. He felt sure that
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I had taken the wrong direction. After he had eaten and rested, we went across to another mountain where our shack was. We argued a great deal as to which one of us made the mistake. I contended that when we hit the blizzard on top of Elk Mountain that he turned too much to the right. He would not give in. The subject got to be very unpleasant and our feelings were being aroused. I have read that it is easy for men to quarrel over trivial things when alone in the mountains. There is something in the air or the surroundings that causes bitter disagreement.
Both of us agreed to go to Leadville and find work as we needed some cash. We got our packs ready and left early the next morning. As there was a stage road going to Leadville, we followed it. The snow was beaten down, making walking easier. On one side of the road, I noticed four newly covered graves with no marking. Later on we met other prospectors. We asked them about the new graves. They told us that some young bucks or Indians had killed them. They were four white men. They also said that Sitting Bull had been on the warpath with two hundred Indians and that they thought they were the slayers. It was very easy for Indians to surprise prospectors in the mountains and slay them. Many miners had no weapons to defend themselves. Although the U. S. Government had Indian scouts to watch the Indians, the Ute Tribe of Indians on their reservation were just over the mountain where white men were not supposed to trespass on their land.
After we reached Leadville, we were told that Indians had slain the PRICE and MEEKER families in a
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sudden uprising and understood that these families were on the reservation to instruct the Indians how to cultivate their land. It was rumored in Leadville that the Indians had sent word that they would massacre all white men in Leadville. This was too big a job for them and they never tried it. Many Indians could be seen now and then in Leadville, but they seemed friendly.
I remember one 4th of July, several Indians came to Leadville to take part in the celebration, such as wrestling and racing against the white men. These exercises were different on account of the high altitude, especially with newcomers or "tender feet" as they were called. Indians were more accustomed to the climate and they carried off most of the prizes.
My partner, JAMES, and myself agreed to separate and to in different ways to hunt work of any kind and we would meet at a certain place that evening and also to find a place where we could sleep that night. After some hours of walking around, I was fortunate enough to meet a working man. I told him what I wanted. He said he had a half interest in a cabin on Stray Horse Gulch. It is less than a half mile from the center of Leadville, and that he would sell me his interest for thirteen dollars. His partner who owned a half interest never came back. He had left him a few days before for a six months trip down the Gunniston River to prospect and the Indians may have gotten him. He was a Frenchman. I took him up on his proposition and paid him the thirteen dollars. I hunted up my partner, JAMES, and told him where we could sleep. We found the cabin easily and
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we both thought it a fair start to have a cabin. We were satisfied with the trade we had made.
The following morning, after a good night's rest, we started out to look for work. We went in different directions. I overheard some men speaking. They wanted a man to work sinking a well, who was familiar with the use of dynamite. I told them I could handle the explosive. He gave me directions how to find the place. I hurried to be the first on the job. I found a man whose name was LLOYD, a real Yankee from Maine. He had recently built a rough residence and a stable for his horses. His occupation was that of a teamster. Hauling was in demand between Denver and Leadville and also into the mountains for prospectors. He happened to be in his stable. I asked him if he wanted to hire a man to work in a well. He said he did and he spoke to me about dynamite. I told him I was used to handling it. He showed me the well and it had a windlass over it. The man who had sunk it down nearly twenty feet struck rock and said he could not handle explosives.
It was arranged for me to commence the next morning. He would pay me two dollars per day and board. I went back to my cabin in the gulch and met my partner, JAMES. I told him I had found a job and that I would be away for a few days. I was on hand early the next morning. Mr. LLOYD had a hand to windlass for me. I was lowered down into the well with some tools and commenced to work. I found the rock was not a solid foundation and was easily broken through. I did not need to use explosives. Mr. LLOYD was pleased as he was in need of water. I worked three
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days and struck a good stream of water. I ate my meals in his house. Two women cooked the meals-his wife and a sister.
After finishing the well job, Mr. LLOYD asked me to work another day to cut some kindling wood for him. He had a pile of dried spruce trees near the house for that purpose. Early the next morning I commenced to chop the wood for him. It was snowing but not cold; at least I did not feel the cold. I can remember the day well. I felt good and strong. My lung power was fine in that high altitude. The call to dinner for me sounded good for my appetite was very keen. I took my place at the dinner table with the other men. I had plenty of boiled beef and beans, just the right kind of food for a working man in that climate. As soon as I was done eating I hurried back to my chopping place. I had a good pile already cut. My day's work would not cease until dark came. Snow was still falling slowly. Whenever I looked toward the house I could see the two women watching me all the afternoon, and knowing they could not find anything wrong with my work. I had already quite a large pile of wood cut and it was growing larger every hour.
When supper time came I ate with the rest of the men. Then we sat around for a few hours talking before retiring to the barn where we all slept. As we were all about to go out, Mr. LLOYD, whom I had not seen all day, called me aside and told me not to leave for a while. I wondered what he wanted with me. So I waited and at last he came and said he wanted me to come back to the kitchen. He told me to sit on a bench at the table and I did so. Soon his
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wife and sister came in smiling with a large pan full of ginger cake just baked. It smelled good. He cut it in blocks or squares. Mr. LLOYD said, "Let's eat", and we did eat. Why the rest of the workers were not invited I do not know. Mr. LLOYD may have looked at the pile of cut wood which would do him for quite a while. Whenever I eat ginger cake I always think of Mr. LLOYD.
I went back to my cabin on Stray Horse Gulch and found my partner, JAMES. He had found some odd jobs, but no regular work. There were several miners on Fryer Hill shipping silver ore. I had some experience traveling around looking for work. Many of the superintendents were Irish and others were Odd Fellows, and as I was neither, I was not employed.
I wanted work in an ore producing mine. It was safer and more regular and not as wet as shaft sinking. Shafts were most dangerous. You had to use high grade explosives and also the flimsy machinery to let a man down and to hoist him up. At last I found work at a shaft named El Paso and very wet. A miner with rheumatism or weak lungs could not work many days. Conditions in shaft sinking would soon lay him up. Three eight hour shifts with from one to two men on shifts, and size of shaft three by six in the clear and the depth fifty to five hundred feet. Should paying ore be found, the shaft was made larger.
I worked in El Paso shaft several months. DUVALS, from California, was the owner. I had considerable trouble with water. It would rise eight feet per hour when the pump would fail. My cabin was one-half
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mile from the shaft. They would send a man after me to get the pump working again. One month I had forty-five days to my credit. I felt no serious effect from the dampness, only a numbness and weakness about my ankles. Mr. DUVAL told me he would build a house for me and pay my expenses if I would move here from Pennsylvania. I could not think for a moment of bringing my wife and two small children to such a rough country. My partner, JAMES, found work for both of us in another shaft called the Olive Branch. It was not so deep. It was only two hundred feet and was not for from El Paso. Olive Branch worked three shifts with one man on each shift. JAMES and myself worked about three months. We got along agreeably in our cabin and also in the mine. On this week my shift was from 7 a. m. to 3 p. m. JAMES followed me from 3 p. m. to 11 p.m.
One night about ten o'clock I was sleeping soundly in the cabin when I heard a voice calling me. "Ho, FRANCIS." It woke me up. I felt at once that there was something wrong by the tone of his voice. I got up quickly and asked him what was the matter. He told me that JAMES was badly hurt. I asked him where JAMES was. He told me at the bottom of the shaft. I hurried over to the shaft and just got there in time to take hold of him as his head and shoulders came through the opening top of the shaft. He stood upright in the bucket with one arm around the rope which was attached to the bucket as the hoisting rope was pulled up on the drum by horse-power-very slowly hoisting. A wood fire was burning near. We moved him to it; took off his rubber coat and his hip boots
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Asst. State Coordinators:
-- Rebecca Maloney
-- Betty Baker
-- M.D. Monk
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