Volume 018-1 - January 1964 (2 pages)

had told the Superintendent, George Starr, that the vein was lost and could not be found again ‘“‘put ‘er in'ere, George”’ indicating where the drift was to be started was the Cousin Jack’s advice, and the.e ovenrred the biggest discovery in the nine as a result. This occurrence, together with many others, was recounted here for years. ‘‘Do you think you'll be able to smell ‘er now?” was the common query among the miners. Scores of stories concerning the Cousin Jack can be picked up almost anywhere today. Typical is the story of the chap who had gone hunting and killed an owl. Coming in Auburn street, he was accosted by his friend, William Henry, “What ‘ave’e got in the great bag Jan?” Jan pulling out his owl, “Great big-eyed chicken of some kind.” William Henry, “Looks like an howl to me”. . Jan, “I don’t care how owld ‘ee is, I'm going to heat 'im just the sime’.”” Two Cousin Jacks were strolling down the street of a mining town where they saw a sign on a Chinese laundry. One said to the other, “What does ’e say?" The second replied, “Damned if I know, but if I ‘ad me cornet along, I'd play un for thee.” Or on seeing a sign, I. 0. O. F. (Independent Order of Odd Fellows), the first Cousin Jack, “What does ’e say?” Reply: ‘“‘Why thad’ do mean they building there be a ‘undred feet ‘igh.” (The Cornish accent and dialect is impossible to imitate — one must have heard it regularly to get it right). A Cornish miner when told by the boss to find out how many men were down a small shaft and then to inform them that half of them were to come up, shouted down the shaft opening ‘“‘Ow many of ’e down ther?”’ They answered, “Five.” “Then, ‘alf of ‘e come on up,” the Cousin Jack shouted. Cornish customs are still popular here, and many an old Cornish lady is adept at making pasties and saffron buns or cake which were carried in the lunch buckets to the mines. Buckets were made with three compartments— tea in the bottom part, a Cornish pasty (type of meat pie) in the middle part, and usually a saffron bun on top. One of the bakeries in Grass Vallev strives to retain the old world atmosphere and tourists enjoy buying pasties and saffron cakes. Grass Valley Cornish Carol Choir Most enjoyable of all Cornish customs is the singing of the Cornish Carols at Christmas here. The Grass Valley Carol Choir, conducted by Harold J. George, Sr. — himself of Cornish extraction — does outstanding work each year. Singing their native carols this group has carried on the tradition set by their forefathers who worked and sang in the deep tin mines of Cornwall. Each Christmas Eve and again on Christmas morning the group appears on the streets or in front of The Union building with “Sound Sound, Your Instruments of Joy"’, “Lo, the Angelic Hosts Rejoice’’, “Joy to the World.” and ‘“Diadem’’. They also sing in the local churches, to shut-ins, and in distant cities. The music for some of these carols has never been published so some of the ancient carols have survived only because of this group. It all grew out of a custom of small groups gathering in the mines singing, with the first formal organization under John Farrel at the Methodist Church. On Christmas Eve in 1940 the Choir broadcast over a national radio hook-up from the 2,000 foot level of the Idaho Maryland Mine. The broadcast received plaudits from all over the world,and it was repeated in 1951 and 1952. Recently the Choir cut a record of all its popular carols. It sells in music stores all over the state and as far as Cornwall. Appearances of this popular group are made every year at hospitals and churches and in cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, and many others. The choir trains its personnel by starting members as little boys eight and ten years old in the alto section and. as the boys get older, they make up the tenor and bass sections. It is not unusual to find choir members of the fourth generation. The Cornish Pump In some of the older mines may be found Cornish pumps described by one mining engineer as ‘the most reliable and efficient means of keeping water down in deep mines.” The long pump rod, often a mile long, is made of wood spliced with iron plates and follows the shaft often in pitches of 40 degrees. The weight of splicing plates and belts has been estimated at 35,000 pounds and, with wood, about 100,000 pounds. Balanced nicely and moving back and forth six feet a stroke, four times a minute, the Cornish pump is something to behold. The famed Cornish pump was found not only here but along the Comstock Lode and Northern mines— a monument to Cornish ingenuity. Tommyknockers With the abandonment of hard rock mining in the Grass Valley and Nevada City area, many local residents have been concerned about housing the hundreds of Tommyknockers, legendary elflike characters that according to the Cornish superstition protected the miners from caveins. Respect for these denizens of the deep chambers of the earth has always been genuine among Cornishmen, almost a part of their religion. Perhaps, the best definition of a Tommyknocker is given by an old Cornishman who described them as, “Little fellows who ‘ave the miner’s best interest at ’art. We brought ’em ’ere from Cornwall; they make the miner safe when we do go ’ome. They do be a cross between a gnome and a brownie with a dash of leprechaun among ’em.” Many miners, though not having themselves seen these little people, recall having seen small effigies of them set up in mine tunnels. According to one authority, “the little men were fashioned from the clay that was carried as a candle holder, and often has a pipe. The Tommyknockers take their name from their characteristic tapping on timbers in the mine as a means of warning miners of an impending disaster. Anthony Fitch in “Ballads of Western Miners” brings out the sinister omen of the tappings: An’ we leave the 'aunted place Fro’ we won't work w'ere they be, An w'ever we ‘ear them knocking We sure wull always flee. For it means w’over ‘ears it Will be the next in line, For the pick-pick of the Tommyknockers Is the last and awful! sign. Local miners believed these little creatures often performed pranks such as hiding tools, jamming drills or tampering with fuses. In early days Tommyknockers were blamed for blowing out candles in the mines and holding revels in the mule barns of the mines. Frequently, Cousin Jacks were wont to say ‘‘A damned Tommyknocker is around.” It is not likely that local miners have ever seen these mischievous creatures, but one miner in Nevada City at the Murchie quit his job when he saw a little man with whiskers coming out of one of the tunnels of the mine. Closely associated with the Tommyknocker there developed superstition about strange sounds and sights in the mines here, such as dripping of water on rock and creaking of timbers that have scared miners. The myriad sizes, shapes of various rocks underground have given rise to belief in ghosts and all sorts of strange sights, and these in turn have been used by miners themselves to perform ali sorts of pranks on newcomers. However, to some, the “ghosts” have been real. There was the old fellow at the Brunswick Mine in Grass Valley who said he saw monkeys with red hats dodging in and out of the shaft, and once a large catlike animal at the Pennsylvania scared miners out of their wits. Nevertheless, when the mines closed, the question of housing Tommyknockers was raised in several quarters. ‘‘The Sacramento Bee” pointed out that ‘in 1940 we had 1,800 miners producing $50,000,000 in gold. Today we have scarcely any. — small wonder the Tommyknocker has become a displaced person.”’ and the local “Union"’ announces the Twin Cities face a big rehabilitation task in providing for the Tommyknockers as the larger mines are filled with water and they are forced to find other quarters., So, the ‘“‘old days” of the Cornish miners have gone into history, but with a chuckle and a nostalgic sigh, we recall them even now. References: Wayland Hand. “California Miners Folklore’, California Folklore Quarterly. Alvin Trivelpiece — The Sacramento Bee — September 4, 1957. The Union, September 1, 1957.

had told the Superintendent, George Starr, that the vein was lost and could not be found again ‘“‘put ‘er in'ere, George”’ indicating where the drift was to be started was the Cousin Jack’s advice, and the.e ovenrred the biggest discovery in the nine as a result. This occurrence, together with many others, was recounted here for years. ‘‘Do you think you'll be able to smell ‘er now?” was the common query among the miners. Scores of stories concerning the Cousin Jack can be picked up almost anywhere today. Typical is the story of the chap who had gone hunting and killed an owl. Coming in Auburn street, he was accosted by his friend, William Henry, “What ‘ave’e got in the great bag Jan?” Jan pulling out his owl, “Great big-eyed chicken of some kind.” William Henry, “Looks like an howl to me”. . Jan, “I don’t care how owld ‘ee is, I'm going to heat 'im just the sime’.”” Two Cousin Jacks were strolling down the street of a mining town where they saw a sign on a Chinese laundry. One said to the other, “What does ’e say?" The second replied, “Damned if I know, but if I ‘ad me cornet along, I'd play un for thee.” Or on seeing a sign, I. 0. O. F. (Independent Order of Odd Fellows), the first Cousin Jack, “What does ’e say?” Reply: ‘“‘Why thad’ do mean they building there be a ‘undred feet ‘igh.” (The Cornish accent and dialect is impossible to imitate — one must have heard it regularly to get it right). A Cornish miner when told by the boss to find out how many men were down a small shaft and then to inform them that half of them were to come up, shouted down the shaft opening ‘“‘Ow many of ’e down ther?”’ They answered, “Five.” “Then, ‘alf of ‘e come on up,” the Cousin Jack shouted. Cornish customs are still popular here, and many an old Cornish lady is adept at making pasties and saffron buns or cake which were carried in the lunch buckets to the mines. Buckets were made with three compartments— tea in the bottom part, a Cornish pasty (type of meat pie) in the middle part, and usually a saffron bun on top. One of the bakeries in Grass Vallev strives to retain the old world atmosphere and tourists enjoy buying pasties and saffron cakes. Grass Valley Cornish Carol Choir Most enjoyable of all Cornish customs is the singing of the Cornish Carols at Christmas here. The Grass Valley Carol Choir, conducted by Harold J. George, Sr. — himself of Cornish extraction — does outstanding work each year. Singing their native carols this group has carried on the tradition set by their forefathers who worked and sang in the deep tin mines of Cornwall. Each Christmas Eve and again on Christmas morning the group appears on the streets or in front of The Union building with “Sound Sound, Your Instruments of Joy"’, “Lo, the Angelic Hosts Rejoice’’, “Joy to the World.” and ‘“Diadem’’. They also sing in the local churches, to shut-ins, and in distant cities. The music for some of these carols has never been published so some of the ancient carols have survived only because of this group. It all grew out of a custom of small groups gathering in the mines singing, with the first formal organization under John Farrel at the Methodist Church. On Christmas Eve in 1940 the Choir broadcast over a national radio hook-up from the 2,000 foot level of the Idaho Maryland Mine. The broadcast received plaudits from all over the world,and it was repeated in 1951 and 1952. Recently the Choir cut a record of all its popular carols. It sells in music stores all over the state and as far as Cornwall. Appearances of this popular group are made every year at hospitals and churches and in cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, and many others. The choir trains its personnel by starting members as little boys eight and ten years old in the alto section and. as the boys get older, they make up the tenor and bass sections. It is not unusual to find choir members of the fourth generation. The Cornish Pump In some of the older mines may be found Cornish pumps described by one

mining engineer as ‘the most reliable and efficient means of keeping water down in deep mines.” The long pump rod, often a mile long, is made of wood spliced with iron plates and follows the shaft often in pitches of 40 degrees. The weight of splicing plates and belts has been estimated at 35,000 pounds and, with wood, about 100,000 pounds. Balanced nicely and moving back and forth six feet a stroke, four times a minute, the Cornish pump is something to behold. The famed Cornish pump was found not only here but along the Comstock Lode and Northern mines— a monument to Cornish ingenuity. Tommyknockers With the abandonment of hard rock mining in the Grass Valley and Nevada City area, many local residents have been concerned about housing the hundreds of Tommyknockers, legendary elflike characters that according to the Cornish superstition protected the miners from caveins. Respect for these denizens of the deep chambers of the earth has always been genuine among Cornishmen, almost a part of their religion. Perhaps, the best definition of a Tommyknocker is given by an old Cornishman who described them as, “Little fellows who ‘ave the miner’s best interest at ’art. We brought ’em ’ere from Cornwall; they make the miner safe when we do go ’ome. They do be a cross between a gnome and a brownie with a dash of leprechaun among ’em.” Many miners, though not having themselves seen these little people, recall having seen small effigies of them set up in mine tunnels. According to one authority, “the little men were fashioned from the clay that was carried as a candle holder, and often has a pipe. The Tommyknockers take their name from their characteristic tapping on timbers in the mine as a means of warning miners of an impending disaster. Anthony Fitch in “Ballads of Western Miners” brings out the sinister omen of the tappings: An’ we leave the 'aunted place Fro’ we won't work w'ere they be, An w'ever we ‘ear them knocking We sure wull always flee. For it means w’over ‘ears it Will be the next in line, For the pick-pick of the Tommyknockers Is the last and awful! sign. Local miners believed these little creatures often performed pranks such as hiding tools, jamming drills or tampering with fuses. In early days Tommyknockers were blamed for blowing out candles in the mines and holding revels in the mule barns of the mines. Frequently, Cousin Jacks were wont to say ‘‘A damned Tommyknocker is around.” It is not likely that local miners have ever seen these mischievous creatures, but one miner in Nevada City at the Murchie quit his job when he saw a little man with whiskers coming out of one of the tunnels of the mine. Closely associated with the Tommyknocker there developed superstition about strange sounds and sights in the mines here, such as dripping of water on rock and creaking of timbers that have scared miners. The myriad sizes, shapes of various rocks underground have given rise to belief in ghosts and all sorts of strange sights, and these in turn have been used by miners themselves to perform ali sorts of pranks on newcomers. However, to some, the “ghosts” have been real. There was the old fellow at the Brunswick Mine in Grass Valley who said he saw monkeys with red hats dodging in and out of the shaft, and once a large catlike animal at the Pennsylvania scared miners out of their wits. Nevertheless, when the mines closed, the question of housing Tommyknockers was raised in several quarters. ‘‘The Sacramento Bee” pointed out that ‘in 1940 we had 1,800 miners producing $50,000,000 in gold. Today we have scarcely any. — small wonder the Tommyknocker has become a displaced person.”’ and the local “Union"’ announces the Twin Cities face a big rehabilitation task in providing for the Tommyknockers as the larger mines are filled with water and they are forced to find other quarters., So, the ‘“‘old days” of the Cornish miners have gone into history, but with a chuckle and a nostalgic sigh, we recall them even now. References: Wayland Hand. “California Miners Folklore’, California Folklore Quarterly. Alvin Trivelpiece — The Sacramento Bee — September 4, 1957. The Union, September 1, 1957.