Show A MINE THAT SHUTS ITS MOUTH one of th the most remarkable natural wonder of montana reference to the natural wonders of montana particularly the chicken broth and springs brings to light others of equal magnitude colonel jobu doyles wonderful vinegar mine in beaverhead Ceaver head county passes the domain of doubt into the sunlight of truth it is bankd by crisp affidavits and affi affa aaman montana ther the colonel and his bis partners did didner mo confine themselves to vinegar they discovered a mountain of pure alum in the beaverhead range the discovery was considered a ten strike and better than a gold mine they kept the find a secret for several weeks during which a shaft shaf t was sunk to the depth of feet the cut was made all the way through a solid vein of alum and it was estimated that the whole mountain was composed of it A large pile of stuff was heaped near tho the mine ready for shipment and the miners had bad a scheme to flood the market with their prod product act and rake in at one tell fell swoop monday the colonels partrica cr went to town to lay in a supply of grub and tile the former remained behind to guard the treasure during the morn morning ing a heavy rain began 9 an to falland fairund continued all day and audio in the afternoon the colonel had bad occasion to go sown into the mine making the descent by sliding down the rope and when once down at the bottom was ia so taken up with a conten of his novel and wonderful mine that he be did not happened to ct his eyes upward and saw that t daylight had faded from the mouth of the shaft he started to climb upward but had not proceeded more than half way when to his horror he discovered that the heavy fall of rifi rain had so thoroughly saturated the alum sides of the shaft that as a natural result they had bad drawn together until the hole wits was scarcely large enough for fora a man to crawl through the imprisoned man recognized liis his awful apfl position and without losing much time struggled toward the top of the shaft every foot lie he advanced the shift shaft became smaller and for the fast ten feet he was compelled to dig his way with a pocketknife and alid when he finally reached the surface he be was completely exhausted his clothes were torn and his bis body badly bruised the rain which ivas was still falling soon revived th the colonel and lie he started toward the camp to meet his partner to whom ho he related his marvelous ei experience peri ence together they started to the their irmine mine or at least tried to for although they searched for two days they were unable to find any sight of their late possessions the rain had undoubtedly thoi thoroughly 4 and tightly closed up the discovery I 1 shaft and melted away every sign of the alum piled on the outside so that to alus time it has been impossible to find anny trace of the mine omaha bee |