, 1874-08-02
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
Alma. One of the LiyelieSt Mining
Towns In Colorado.
Making The Ascent Of lit. Lintoln-The
lieW from It's Summit.
Mines on Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Bross.

t1L&A, tplt 4ot4-
These neutrality-suspicious. arc very beautiful,
very picturesque, very health-lnspiring, and,
dnring The greater portion Of the year. very
cool. To person fresh from the turbid banks
of the Arkansas, where the mercury managed to
convulse itself to the extent OF 4 hundred de-
grees or more, where the sands burn and pave
ments blister with the heat, the change is both
sudden and delightful. Here you are in the
locality OF
PERPETUAL SNOW.
The June winds, that come sweeping down the
mountain-gorgos in the vicinity OF FairplaJ and
Alma. have the f1avor OF old winter about them,
and the irrgating ditch that runs in front of the
principal hash-dispensazy in this goodly town
has coating OF ice half an inch IN thickness.
write this amid the fragrance of violets, YER
benas, plum blossoms, and wild roses; bali
mile farther up. and you will find
yourself houndering and tumbling in snow-
bank Occasionally when the clouds get over
charged, liberal dose ia sprlnkled down
here; and is not uncommon to participate in
snow-balling festival in July OF August. AL OF
tho springs and streams are ice-co'd. and the
matutinal cocktail is favored with ha1l-stopes.
It ia apt to rain, hail. or snow, At any moment;
and Old Probabilities himealf can never predict
whom storm is coming. At s a. m., this very
day. the sun was shining brightly, and not
cloud was visible. A $3.50 a. M, slight mist
settled, like Al old-fashioned night~cap, over the
head OF Ut. Bross; at Q o'clock, lightning PLACED
= zlgzag waltz down the mountain-the thnn-
der 1oed-the rain fell at 10 o'clock, hail
stones, the sizo Of chestnuts. pattered down in
the streets. and created 4 stampede among the
mules and bu,ros at half past 10, were in the
midst Of driving suow-storm; and nov, at u
M. all il calm and serone again, With no traces
whatever OF the lutte commotion. The rariled
air enIarges the lungs to the fullest capacity,
aud sends the blood bounding through every
vein. It is impossible to remain l1s.less or
Indifferent in such An atmosphere, aud
thore aro but few Jawning inbeciles
or street -cornor 1oafcrs. A man can't
remain lazy or sluggish. even it he wishes to;
and there can bs no doubt that the base Of the
main range is
Paradise for 1eforn1- schools and all Institutions
Designed to iuculcate moral and industrious
principles. Such bounding pulses, health,
strength, elasticity, and animal life, as d man
feels out in this region. His muscles grow as
hard and knotted es those of prjze-hshter;
his lungs swell ont like pair Of bellowsi and
his appetite is capable Of demolinhing ANYTHING
from an army biscuit to an entire haunch OF
black-tail yenisou. He contracts no colds, chils,
feye.s, or malaria; aud, though lie may be ut
terlv PLAYED out ut night with fatigue, he rises
in the morning lively and supple as kitten.
More wonderful and potent than al the doctors
and hospitals in the un17ersc is this mountain
air upon tha health; and the only wonder is,
tint mora afI7ictcd Oeraons do not avail them
eA4.1 -, 80 hanas.a Thov naror can bare
seases ol ns oe"en1o 1
cause to resfettn experiment.
ALMA,
tho ,iyely little mining town from which write,
-. -, ,,n,+1t.aat of Fa;rn1av in par. Conn
44e' .1-4oo ~ ssA .,a.r,at;a, rovo+ao o,n,ost
~ anu eon1a'i'7 Dopota. .~. :.
exclusively to mining interests. Inc so"n s
hardly a rear old but it boasts OF five or six
orocarv and drug stores. any quantity Of saloons,
80 ,,sto,u 40 danco-h,,i and = Iarpe number
Aooa no.eo' 49, 11a,o - +oaa+hor ,ror,;.cn-
OF private nouseo' nau0' eo 49,,
critical gaze failed to discover more than two
ch;nners in tho entire town. AL Of the stove
~ ,;roo,l- ,bronoh the roof witbout pro-
p'pes ~ uleol'1 ',;-d sr5 tho ;nfsrsnce ia con-
'ec'ion y, au' -. g., e1ar aats nn1sr f,1, ;sad-
elusive, that II ire ever gets unoe1 1oa oeAo-
way. il will sweep the entire town. The popu-
1atlon is about 600. and lncreahiuE every day.
Tho Boston Colorado bmeltln8 companies
have established works hero, i'll connection with
their other works at Central and Georgetown.
Tor tho reduction Of ths ores and are meeting
NTH very good success. as the ore Of the Mt.
Lincoln District is easily worked, aud Yields o
large percent Of silver. From some cause the
Company are not now buying any ore Of the
mines, and business is little dull III conae-
oucnce ; but they expect to resume when the
old stock il worked up aud trade VIII
revive again. At these. worka, onlY tue
first stages Of the reduction process are
gone through with, the hnlshinE touches oe'ne
put on at. and the bullion shippeo 119m, ueotHe-
town. Imperfect os the works are, however. by
creating market for tho ora tnsE nave enect.
ually squelclled the pretensions OF fa1rpiay, and
the most bitter luminosity exists between the tF9
towns. Ask citizen OF flliplay the direct ROAD
to Alma. and, with smile Of bitter contempt, ne
will shake his head aud declare that there Is no
such piace in the Territory; while the residents
Of Alma will admit that there vas once > snch = ;
place ~ Fairpay, but that it "sa enfl1eiT dotted
out BY the September fire ot 1873 while the
general public have no particular interest IN tnls
rivalry. yet there s no denying tue 1aet that, a.
the present "11tnS, Alua 10 e1 +; ,6e,a3, ~ e.
on1st clean pair ol heels, anu Ii etsouany ~
sorbiug the trade and capital OF the mining fe-
glon. Tourists start from this po1ns, miners
purchase their supplies here, and capital comes
rushing in for investment. lhrouen sne magic
of these combined Influences, Alma t6 hDout