The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16
A Utah Mining Town.

Like all the mining "cities' of these
mountains, Ophir is a mere camp, con-
tanning a few stores, bar-rooms, and
shanties for the supplies and accomoda-
ton of the miners, who are mostly dis
tributed in the hills, only visiting the
cities for their necessities, or for the en-
joyment of Sunday after their own fash
ion. One of the buildings serves the
purpose of city hall, lyceum, dance
house, and church, rs occasion de-
mands. On the day after our arrival
the pulpit scaffolding was occupied in
the morning by an Episcopal clergy
man, and in the evening by a
Catholic priest, both of whom
came in one coach from salt Lake.
When the latter preached, his Protest
ant brother aided with lis in making
the congregation to number a little
more than a dozen. On the previous
evening the hall had been crowded with
dancers, who kept up hideouS noise
till morning. Nevertheless it is fair TO
say that Sunday was very quietly OBJ
served, and there were few cases of
drunkenness that caused much disturb
ance. But the Ophir citizens are not
church-going rs class, though aS toll
Grant rs they are ignorant in religious
matters. The other Sunday a Metho-
dist clergyman ofliciatcd, opening the
services by requesting them TO sing the
hymn commencing,
30 for a closer walk with Cod
After the meeting one of the congre-
CATION thanked him for his preaching,
adding: but, parSon, You was more
comp 'mentary than we deserves. | dun
nos Ophir camps any better'n the rest
of 'em; we all walks Il good deal cloSter
the other way" have photograph Of
the hotel restaurant of Monsieur Simon,
where last wear | was so comfortably
lodged, and where we were now well
coined by the proprietor with the same
ceremony observed at descent" be-
fore a Partisan hotel. The ''hotel res
taurant' itself in the picture, but far
more in the reality, presents a ludicrouS
contrast to its background of Zion
mountain. towering three thousand feet
above it. Whenever 4 stranger comes
into these camps he is Immediately en-
cOmpaSscd by a crowd of kindly dis
posed gentlemen, who are willing to di-
vide their interests in the most pTomiS-
inc mines, which only require a little of
Your money for their development.
They have prospects of wonderful ''in-
dications, - '.true fissure veins, - cline
stone and quartzite formations, chang
ing and foot walls carbonate"
''chloride, - and other certainticS of pro
ducing unlimited quantities of rich ore,
thousands of tons of which are frequent
ly ''in sight. - They want You to
invest in the running of tun-
nels' and the sinking of shafts and
then to put the mine in the market, -
i'm New York or London. As to ''prOS-
pects,n the mountains are as full of
them rs Sandbanks are ever bored by
swallows for their nests. The laboring
miners are universally poor. They keep
themselves industriously in that condi-
ton, toiling away at their prospects
until their flour and bacon give out,
and then working by the day in the
large mines until they get money enough
to buy powder and provisions to work
on another prospect, when they find 4
trace" or cropping out" that affords
them any hope. They have known or
have heard of few men, who, having
"struck good thing have risen
from a condition like their own to the
rank of millionaires, and why should
not the same good fortune at last be
theirs? Instead of gambling with
dice and cards, they gamble with the
spade and pick, working harder and
gaining As little. Among the thousand
blanks there is occasionally prize. The
Walker brothers have drawn their full
share. They came to Utah as members
of the Mormon Church, toiled in the
canyons, cutting and drawing wood,
gained little property in this way, in
vested in land and merchandise, paying
their tithing with regularity, until they
accumulated a property Oh the income
of which they did not care to pay ten
per cent. One day they were reminded
of their duty by Brigham Young, and
they sent him a check for ten thousand
dollars. Brigham returned it with a no.
tice that it was insufficient, whercupOn
they tore it up, paid tithing no longer,
and left the Church. They say the Lord
has prospered them ever since. Brig
ham says the devil has been theirfricnd.
No matter who has assisted them, the
Walkers have done something for them
selves. Their great warehouses are POI
! tent rivals of /" lions Cooperative Mer-
camille Institution, = and every hole OF
ground into which they dig becomes Il
mine of wealth. They own them in ev-
cry canyon, and here in Ophir they reign
supreme. What wonder is il that poor
men, who but a few years ago worked
side by side with these Walker brothers,
should ask themselves, "As we have
been equals once, why should we not be
equals again? ''-ScptcmJcr GalaTy.