Collection: Books and Periodicals > Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins

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Title: Volume 036-2 - April 1982 Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Collection Name: Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins # of Pages: 8 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2014-02-19 05:04:22 OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 04:05:56 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 04:05:56

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

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the truth once in a while because it pleased some people and atonished all the rest. And it was here I gained many friends who have held close all these years. You will agree with me that thisisa good camp to come to. And I can prove to you that it is a good camp to go away from. That is because Grass Valley and Nevada City have held a unique position among California mining towns and, in fact, among all mining towns. If you canvass the names of those American miners who developed and equipped the great mines of the Transvaal, of Rhodesia, of Kalgoorlie, of Broken Hill, of Burma, of New Zealand, and of China, you will find that a great majority had learned something of their job within twenty miles fo where I stand. This region led in mining skill then and it has maintained its lead right down to this day. You produce more than gold. You have bred a host of men who made their marks in the world or at least they dug holes all over the surface of it. I recollect my old friend and your fellow townsman, George Starr, over thirty years ago telling me about a young Englishman who applied for a job in Johannesburg, South Africa, and on being refused exclaimed to his companion: ‘Mate, it is no use. If we ever get a job we have got to goand stay overnight in the place Grass Valley so we can say we came from there.”’ In his Memoirs, Hoover wrote later that: “with a little brushing up, I was still able to speak to them (the Cornish) in their own terms at a Fourth of July speech, many years later (than 1895).” This must have been a reference to his mentioning the words “moil’” and “gad”. After the patriotic exercises, a nohost luncheon was scheduled at the Bret Harte Inn. The officials of the day were, of course, present. Covey had the distinction to be placed between Mr. and Mrs. Hoover at the request of the former. Hoover had asked that all of the miners whom he had known in 1895 and who were still around would be. invited. This part of the festivities had been organized by William Durbrow, who was at that time associated with the Nevada Irrigation District. He found several of them. It must have been quite a hilarious party, all participants, miners and others milling around the former president. The miners became quite jovial, calling Hoover “Bert’’ and even “Fatty’’. Nevertheless, Hoover enjoyed it allimmensely. Dick Goyne, the expert narrator of Cousin Jack stories was at his best and Hoover showed to FOURTH OF JULY LUNCHEON IN HONOR OF HERBERT CLARK HOOVER AT BRET HARTE INN appreciate them. Referring to Hoover’s speech, Ed Gassaway, Hoover’s old partner at the Reward Mine, challenged Hoover to explain the difference between a “moil’’and a “‘gad”’. History does not record Hoover’s explanation, but he knew the answer very well as he had shown many years earlier in his translation of Agricola’s De Re Metallica (1912). For readers who do not know and who are curious... A “moil’” war a pointed steel tool, about 10 to 12 inches long, which was used to make a recession in the wall ofa tunnel wherein to fit a supporting f k 7 A MOIL (BELOW) AND A GAD (UPPER TWO) 15