San Francisco Call, Volume 77, Number 82, 2 March 1895 — AROUND THE CORRIDORS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AROUND THE CORRIDORS.

Colonel Sutherland, who has been superintendent of a dozen mines in California and who ;is now superintendent of the Candelaria mine in Nevada, is down from the Sagebrush State stopping at the Palace Hotel. The colonel " is still known among his associates as "Father Ignaeio," a title which he secured some five years ago by a clever piece of acting. The story goes that in Guatemala, Central America, lived a priestiy the name of Ignaeio de la Guerra, who was the prototype of the colonel and who frequently paid visits to San Francisco. ' At the time mentioned there happened to be at the Occidental Hotel a family of natives from Central America who were old friends of the reverend father and ,who had often seen him in San Francisco. One afternoon they were walking down Kearny street and spied the man from Candelaria. They addressed him in Spanish, and the colonel being a scholar in that language returned the greeting with many warm handshakings and pleasant words. It was but a matter of a few seconds before the mining man saw that he had been mistaken for some one else, but not caring to sacrifice the pleasure of keeping up a good joke he let the mistake continue for some weeks, frequently calling upon the Central Americans, but very discreetly permitting them to do most of the talking. After the joke had been carried on about as long as it was wise to continue, the pretender disclosed his identity and was greeted with the information that they had begun to suspect something, owing to the fact that they had seen him at most all of the theaters in San Francisco, and

were about coming to the conclusion that he was a pretty frisky gentleman to.be wearing the cloth. '*-*777'

Finally the facts leaked out, and from that day to this Colonel Southerland .is known around the hotels as Father Ignaeio and "the boys" go to him with various tales of woe for advice and consolation.

While he was in Candelaria five years ago, at which period water was very scarce and was hauled seven miles in barrels, he had a bunch of cabbage growing in front 'of the office and took a great deal of pride in it, as it was the only green thing at the mine. Edward Spring, a mining reporter of San Francisco, was visiting him, and as the heat was unbearable, Spring got up one night and went to the waterbucket to get a drink. He had no sooner placed the dipper in the pail than he was grabbed and yanked back by a powerful hand. The next moment the colonel got up against the wall and yelled: "For heaven's sake, Spring, don't drink that. That's all the water in camp, and it's for the cabbages."

Colonel Sutherland has experienced many changes in his mining business. At one time he fell under the displeasure of the miners in Candelaria district because his operations in the camp were not successful and his company had difficulty in meeting its obligations. He was so unpopular that 'Blue Dick," a leader among the miners, warned him not to pass through Pickhandle Gulch in driving from Belleville to Columbus. It was said that the colonel took a rocky route around Candelaria Mountain to escape Dick's interference.

A year later there was a sudden change. The camp had been practically closed down and the colonel went to London, raised a big lot of capital and set every mine and mill wide open and working up to the limit. '7

At the time he left for London he was not able to walk the streets of Candelaria in safety. When he returned he was greeted with bonfires, anvil-firing, a brass band and a torchlight procession. 7 ; '■■-.. yi s "''

Dave Alderson, who is known in every mining camp from the Salmon River in Siskiyou to the Calico district in San Bernardino, was talking to some friends at the Lick House-the other day. "It was down in Calico in 18^3," he said, "at one of Bill Stow's mines. There had been few houses built, and most of the miners had put up brush tents in the bed of a dry arroyo. One ; night George Parsons and Alex Best went over to a saloon that had been started about half a mile away, and George got as big a load on as he could conveniently carry back with the assistance of Alex. When they returned George tumbled over into his bunk, but immediately jumped up with a yell and called out to Alex that he had been bitten by a 'sidewinder.' The 'sidewinder* is the sort of rattlesnake they have in that country. Alex felt that prompt action was necessary, and picked up a hatchet and piece of wood and soon had cut off; the index finger of George's left hand, where he said he had been bitten. It happened that a doctor was stopping that night | with Ned Murray, the superintendent, and when he came down and examined the finger he said that there was no sign of a rattlesnake bite. It was found that in falling into his bunk, George had made the leaves rattle like a 'sidewinder,' and at the same time had struck his finger against the pointed end of one of the dry leaves. George grieved over the loss of his finger. I don't believe he got full again for a month." . • *-■ ■ ■

George A. Oliver, who came up from the vicinity of Riverside yesterday, says that there was a good deal of excitement created in that locality lecently by the discovery of a new gold mine in what is known as ' the Gabilan district. "There j are said to -have been a number of specimens, submitted to an assayer," said Mr. Oliver, "and • they assayed $15 to the ton, according to the expert's account. The mine is thought to be a continuation of the lead of the best-paying piece of property in that section, and i the specimens secured were taken out after but little development of the new find."

A. M. Holton of Tucson, Ariz., who was at the Lick yesterday, says . that within the last few months certain mines '.'■ in Arizona have introduced* a process for the electrical extraction of gold and silver, which promises \to ,' do ' away .with the ; great waste which i has • always been encountered ;in 1' the various processes of extracting the precious metals. The new plan is

simply an elaboration of the cyanide process, audit is said that the bullion recovered by this method is in fineness far in excess of that which is zinc precipitated. The variety of climate to be found in California was well illustrated to the mind of rer, - Best, a traveling man, who is at the Grand, ana who recently made a trip to Cummings, Mendocino County. He says that the snow has been so deep upon the mountains that the stages stopped at that point and the mails have been carried on horseback for about three months. The winter, in fact, has been very severe, ana in two months* time only four pleasant days were noticed. The snow is so deep and firm that horses readily walk upon it, and stockmen attend to their cattle mounted on snowshoes.

A. F. Hatch of Chicago, who is at the head of the "Land of Sunshine" Company, which bought many thousands of acres of land from the Crocker-Huffman Company near M*erced last summer, is expected at the Palace the latter part of next week. It is said that James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald has recently acquired a large interest in this company and that several large enterprises of great importance to the State are under contemplation.

F. A. Cartwright, who is at the Occidental and who came down from Stockton yesterday, says there is a project on foot to establish another large flour plant in that city and that the Portland "Flourmills Company is one of its backers. It is also said that one of the localsteamboat lines will become interested in the scheme, thus assuring cheap water rates for the product to this city.

There are two distinguished railroad men at present in the city in the persons of T. Lowry, president of the "Soo" line, which operates principally in Minnesota and the Dakotas, with its general offices in -St. Paul, and Robert Miller, general superintendent of the Michigan Central. Both gentlemen are accompanied by parties of friends, and each travels in a private car. ■ -'- :'7- -'■''''.-'' K 7J

COLONEL SUTHERLAND, ALIAS FATHEB IGNACIO. [Sketched from life for the " Call " by Nankivell.]