Steep Trails - Chapter 16

(paragraphs 4-5)


4 Passing through the dead town of Schellbourne last month, I asked one of the few lingering inhabitants why the town was built. "For the mines," he replied. "And why were they abandoned?" I asked. "Are they exhausted?" "Oh, no," he replied, "they are not exhausted; on the contrary, they have never been worked at all, for unfortunately, just as we were about ready to open them, the Cherry Creek mines were discovered across the valley in the Egan range, and everybody rushed off there, taking what they could with them -- houses, machinery, and all "

5 The dead mining excitements of Nevada were far more intense and destructive than those of California. In the search for wealth, the seekers too often became insane, striking about blindly in the dark like raving madmen. This craving for wealth gave rise to one of the most violent excitements that ever occurred in the history of mining. All kinds of people -- shoemakers, tailors, farmers, etc., as well as miners -- left their own right work and fell in a perfect storm of energy upon the White Pine Hills. They covered the ground like grasshoppers, determined by the very violence of their efforts to turn every stone to silver. But with few exceptions, these mining storms passed away about as suddenly as they had risen. Only ruins are left to show the tremendous energy expended.

What happened to some seekers of wealth? (paragraph 5)