Show W C 5 C V ft es WORK 1101 MINI akia N oy romeu ti aag HIS Is ie the story of 0 two western girls grace carmalt and susie norwood of baker ore who coming unexpectedly alto tho the possession of a minin mining 9 pa claim in eastern oregon set about to work it themselves from the digging to the crushing of the ore and the al final reclamation of 0 the precious y lv metal and have succeeded so BO well that today a golden harvest Is practically within their reach in addition they h have ave gained the distinction of being probably the only women gold miners in the world it all came about in a peculiar way the young fathers were owners of a mining claim in the owl munt mountains ains about eighteen miles from baker there the two girls went each summer spending many hours watching the men at work far back in the horizontal shaft which they had dug in the mountain side bide in ray they became familiar with the different kinds of quartz the lay of ore ora veins and the methods method 0 blasting and timbering the walls of 0 tunnels when later they fell heirs to the claim through the deaths of 0 1 their fathers their first thought was to sell it oro ore car running on wooden but the offers made them rails with a metal for the property being in sheath on top was employed consistent w with I 1 t h their the tracks being ideas of its true value extended ended back as fast as they decided to lease the the e opening was made claim to someone who during the summer would work it lor for them months while this preliminary on shares but hero here W work was vas in again their ideas were at I 1 progress miss carmalt var variance lance with those of and miss aliss norwood were others as to what would practically alone in their be a fair division of 0 the Z mountain home except spoils incidentally they for an occasional weekend proved that they were visit from some of not tenderfeet tender teet feet when it their ous friends came to bargaining with in baker but in spite of the shrewd and practical the tact fact that almost the mining men of the district first question asked by then a tar every visitor was don t thought came to one of the girls ahey had both grown weary of teaching they were strong and healthy they were of an adventurous spirit and they had learned a lot about the mining game why not work ahe ho claim themselves it take the other one ona more than a second to agree that that was just the thing it would be a real sure enough lark and as for making a success of it well they would show the world what two determined girls could do even it if it was supposed to be a mans work and no other woman had ever attempted it before the first thing was to arrange for a cabin up at the mine the tents which they had shared with their fathers served well enough in summer but tor for winter when the snow was waa 20 feet deep and the thermometer hitting the low spots protection of a more substantial character was waa necessary of course all genuine miners work the year round at least when theres anything to do and having decided to go into the thing they proposed to see it through to a finish the result was that they had built a tour four room structure which while it did not make any pretensions te alons to architectural elegance was guaran teed to defy the elements under the most distressing conditions of weather with true fore oro cleot gained by knowledge of their life in the mountains they located the cabin under the lee of a hill where it would be least exposed to the icy fey northwest winds and would at the same time afford an unobstructed view of a magnificent panorama of ridges and valleys stretching away to a line of snow capped peaks more than a hundred bundred miles distant it should be understood that when miss alias carmalt and miss norwood came into possession of 0 the mine it was more a likely prospect than in assured moneymaker money maker evidences of gold ore were plentiful but the problem was to strike the rich veins which would yield ore in paying quantities and warrant the erection of a mill to treat it consequently the first period of their stay in the mountains was devoted to a search tor for these veins which they never doubted existed somewhere back in the mountains day after day through the summer and early tall fall dressed in overalls and with lighted candles in their miners caps they burrowed and the mountains frequently branching off from the main shaft to follow a new lead much of this work in the loose stone and earth was done with pick and shovel but n now ow and then they found their way barred by a wall of solid granite which could only be removed by blasting with dynamite with the details of 0 this work the two girls were alrea already dy acquainted however so be the drilling of holes and the placing a and nd setting betting on off of the explosive caused them no lie concern ihen as aa the work proceeded the passages cleared of the broken had to ba timbered and htone oe and dirt for the latter purpose a small I 1 GIRLS Q wy a y y ael L V rr gh A i zw ae 7 r Z g you imd find it awfully lonesome up here they that never for or a moment after the first halt half hour following the departure of the wagon their last load ot of supplies which had brought up when they had a chanco chance to look around did they feel the slightest inclination to retrace their steps stepa there were many things aside from their work to keep time front hanging heavily on their hands in the first place there was always the great map spread out at their feet to study by new lights and shadows then bird and animal life were plentiful filling the air with songs and chatter coming to the doorsteps for food and often invading the cabin itself frequently deer fed around the cabin in the evenings seeming to realize that they had nothing to tear fear from the two human companions A couple of porcupines also became very friendly and caused no end of amusement by using various means to find a way into the cabin at night down by a spring where they got their water a small bear made his big home and several times they found the tracks of larger ones on the trail they also heard the cries ot of a panther one night dut but they were never molested by any ot of these animals although they were well armed to defend themselves it if the occasion demanded during the summer they cultivated a small garden and raised chickens these things added to their plentiful supply of canned goods to say bay nothing of the mountain trout which they caught almost at their doorsteps afforded them a varied menu then they were always certain of a supply of delicacies when any of their friends journeyed up from baker so the summer months passed their ali alte a busy and a joyous one with the lure of hidden riches to urge them on in their work then one day in the tall fall the expected vein was uncovered and the two girls celebrated eleb rated the discovery by turning their last cako cake of ebo into fudge the finding of the vein necessitated a trip to baker to make arrangements for the construction of a mill and the installation of a stamp battery for crUsh crushing lug the ore so they locked up the cabin and started on tho the 18 mile trip afoot the mill was as erected that fall and while the two girls did not dot actually put it up themselves they took an active part in its construction and superintended super intended the work until it was completed they also helped build a little railroad tor for the ore cars from the mine to the mill the following spring the stamp battery was put in place and then the real work of digging and crushing the oro ore began but as this work was quite beyond the efforts tit of even two such industrious arid and ambitious young women omen they engaged a foreman and a number of men to assist in these theao operations there Is never any ques tion bo however weNer as to who are the real bosses of I 1 t A IRA ROAD the job all ot of the men seem to recognize intuitively ively in these two energetic girls the moving power and the guiding hands bands behind the whole project quickly and unerringly their eyes single out any fault in the work then in low pitched modulated voices which nevertheless have in them a ring of 0 command they give their orders and the tha men with the air of 0 those who bow to superior kno knowledg of 0 the subject are quick to obey the development of 0 the nine Is now proceeding rapidly and while it Is a too early to predict what material fortune tha tb young women eventually will enjoy they seam set m to be confident that their efforts will be sufficiently rewarded at their experience a valuable any rate they count one and they have built up a fun fund d of rugged health and contentment at 0 spirit UP upon on which they can draw freely throughout the rest of their lives |