Photograph as originally submitted to this page in the Historical Marker Database www.HMdb.org. Click on photo to resize in browser. Scroll down to see metadata.

Photographer: Syd Whittle
Taken: March 14, 2009
Caption: Thomas Barron
Additional Description: [Sign at gravesite reads:]

Died Sept. 6, 1876, age 35
A native of Cornwall, England
Many of the pioneer cemeteries have people from Cornwall, England who were experts in hard rock mining.

A “jack” was similar to a drill bit and was approximately one to three feet long. The end was bashed with a hammer, the jack turned manually, and then bashed again. This continued until a hole of the required depth was obtained to place a charge of dynamite in. A miner who specialized in this would be referred to as “one jack” or “two jack”, etc., depending upon how fast he could drill the holes by hand.
Submitted: March 14, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.
Database Locator Identification Number: p55908
File Size: 4.240 Megabytes

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