Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-04-03
LETTER FROyr DAN DE QUILLE.


i Ed. Gazette :-Wnen l last wrote you,
from Salt Lake City, / think hinted
that l should soon write again. Good
So far, all right; but believe up to the pres.
ent time l havn't sent you word. Well,
what's done can't be helped /; never cry when
byIaccident he lac:eal fluid is recklessly ..dis.
seminated. It's all right now forgive
you. Still I w1uld accept an apology
Therefore, / ma pc allowed to say that while
sojourning witt ~ Piks's Psaksrs L had
but little time or opportunity for writing,
and when landed here found myself so far
behind in my correspondence with the "En.
terp'1se that my mental stomach turned
against the whole thing, and it was only af.
ter protracted struggle Of the most terrible
and painful nature that was able last even.
ing TO get through with the disgusting task.
At the Planters Hot,l, Denver, Colorado, l
found IN old Cedar Falls acquaintance, Mr..
Charles II. Mu!larky ,rst, lied as head cl rk OF
the establishment. Of course. / was exceed.
ing glad and rcjoiced and "smilcd accord.
ingly-that is we both smiled, as is the wont
OF men who 60 up into the everlasting hills
to seek treasure Of silver and gold--and then
had good chat about old times and old
friends ut the Falls. The Planters is huge
establishment and Charley is kept very busy,
(of regular boardcrs alone, there are over a
hundred), but We spent many pleasant
homs together. ! also had the pleasure Of
meeting Mr.. Phil. Behmler, another Cedar
Falls friend, and with him had some good
old fashioned chats; also smiled" occa
sionally, as is the practice in mineral coun-
tries. There are several men from the Falls
living in the various mining districts Of the
country, but failed to meet but two or three
of them. spent eight days in Colorado,
examining the mines, mills, etc., and was
much pleased with the many evidences of
mineral wealth met with. Colorado is
bound to be rich mining country when
her many mines are properly developed. As
yet, the people have learned little of the art
Of mining, except how-not. to-do.it. A few
have got through..this primary lesson and,
turning a, new leaf, have commenced the
study Of how-to-do-it. Their mills are of the
most primitive description, similar in con.
struction to those 6rst used in California. II
lid not see mill in Colorado the first cost
,f which would exceed fifteen thousand dol.
ars; now in Washoe, we expect 4 mill to
'ost from thirty to one hundred thousand
lollars--wc have one that cost oyer four
hundred thousand. TO properly and eco
,omically extract the precious metals from
heir ores, one must have capital-lots Of
'apital. Men Of capital have never gone to
he Pixies Peak mines. The people there
rave been left to work out their own saliva. |
ion. They have been slow about it, but
hey are doing it-in fact, we might say |
ave already proved that they need no for.
ign aid. They have wrested the needed |
apital from the iron clasp Of their mountains
nd are now beginning to erect such ma
hinery as their long experience has suggest
d. Some Of the improvements lately adopt.
d are destined to work . revolution in the
'usiness Of gold mining at Pixies Peak
'oon those mines win yield millions where
hey do not now give thousands. Another
ear and Colorado's gold will more eloquent !
plead her cause than any words of mine
ould do. Then will slow, tiuid capital
onse. herself, shake off her fears and hasten /
thither, when sslf.denying.
'borious poverty has proved that the "thing''
ill pay. The coming year will prove the
'ost prosperous that Colorado has yet seen.
As l have limited in the 6rst part of this
.tter, nothing Of importance occurred on my
ome trip and ] am already too sick Of wri.
ing oft to dwell longer on the subject. I!