The New York herald., 1875-07-20
THE HAYDEN SURVEY.
LIFE IN MINING vILLAGE-A NEW DAILY
KsTABLIsHED-DETAILs OF HORRIBLE MAS
sACRE-DIFFICULTIEs IN OBTAINING PHOTO
GRAPHIC VIEWS.
ANTELOPE PARK. JulY Q. 1875.

sAoRE-DIFFIcULTIEs IN OBTAINING PHOTO
GRAPHIC VIEWS.
SAN JUAN CIrY !
ANTELOPE PARK, July 9, 1875.
Continuing my narrative OF Veserday's day.
A mile above camp, In the very bosom of the
mountains, lay the transparent, COOL sparkling
lake. beautiful sheet OF water possessing a beau
tiful name. San Cr1stoval Lake perhaps two
miles long and half mile in width, with a sandy
beach sloping gradually inward, until at length
It's peooly bottom makes precipitous descent
and all objects are lost in its lmmeasurable depth.
Romantic Islands dot Its surface on which grow
clusters Of trees and lovely wild flowers. Around
Its margin nigh promontorles and rocky bluffs
jut out, from which can be obtained fine view or
the mountain val ey. Through the lake dows =
the Lake Fork OF Gunnison River which, a half
mile below, makes fail OF seventy feet, roaring.
foamIng aud boiling like huge cal
dron OF suds, eating out caverns In the
walls OF the solid rock as 1t whlrs around
and around forever In the right bank, just at
the foot these falls, Is a natural cave extending
into the hillside for seventy-1ve feet. These Ar
genta Falls, as they are called, are arched over
whenever the sun shines by brilliant rainbow,
and Just over them rustic bridge OF spruce
branches has been thrown by some appreclative
miners. Descending the rapid river we ind an
other cataract Granite Falls, which descends
over mass OF lava rock ftyelght feet. Al the
top the water compressed between rocks
scarcely two yards asunder, and the whole vol
ume rushes through and spreads out like q ggan-
tic fan OF feAthery mist ere 1t reaches the bottom
Of Its sudden descent. Just mile below this lat
ter fall in the river is situated Lake City, a town
OF log huts one story high, containing but one or,
at the most, two rooms. At present there are
about forty houses within the limits OF the mining
village, and, considering that the place mas
much credit for Its enterprise Already IL
can boast OF liquor saloon, restaurant grocery
store, two butcner shops, barber saloon, an
sayer's o1ice, recorders ONCE aud last, but by
no means least, printing otrce, in when ls pub
lished, once week, bright pithy little sheet,
called the Stl0e1 World. AS yet there have Teen
but two Issues, though, from the character OF
these, there can be no doubt that the paper will
be asuccess In the course OF time, but how 1t can
be supported by the town is more than can be
readily understood, and as there is no regular
mail to connect this out or the way place with
the rest OF the word the paper cannot expect
much foreign help for the present Tue oiice OF
tue StlUer World is a log cabin or one room, where
the forms are prepared and the printing done by
o nand press. Tue roof Is made OF thick poles,
covered with mud and sand, which comes ratting
down through tue crevices. This is printing un-
der di1 culties but the company has already nego-
u
commenced as soon as the saw mlll IS completed
which Will furnish the lumber. Our camp In this
valley was pltcned about three miles above the
town, and scarcely hundred yards from the
scene OF the
LAKE FORK TRAGEDY.
1t may be remembered that as q branch OF the
United States Geological Survey passed through
this section last summer they met party OF
artists who had just discovered the bo6ies OF i've
rad mn
that they had been killed by one OF their COM
rades. This hap Jened nearly two years ago, pre-
vous to the settlement OF the district. We all
went over TO the grove where the 1endsh act
had been committed. 1t was 4 likely spot for
such a deed, aud uut Tor an ACCIDENT the massacre
would not have Deen known TO this day. In
low, damp hollow, scarcely one hundred feet long,
bounded on one side by The river and on the
other by a bluff some thirty feet nigh stands
thick, dark grove Of spruce trees. Here 10 ths
dead OF the night, when all his companions were
lost In sleep, Al Packer the murderer, sent tnem
oil suddenly INTO another world, win no prepara-
ton or warning. As Ne entered tae wood and oo-
served the remnants OF Clothing and blankets
lying around In i've distinct spots. marking the
very places where the massacre had been perpe-
trated a cold calll or horror crept over u.s. We
gained the following account or the event from
one OF the old miners wnon we met in tue neigh
DOrn0Ou.-
A party Of men, twentv-one In all, EFT Salt Lake
City Tor tue mines, some repairing 10 Pue0l0, Otn-
ers 10 Saguac1e, TO winter, wnile "A third party,
consisting OF SIX men, drect cd tnelr steps toward
the san Juan mines. While they were cam ping at
THIS place one OF ther number Killed the remainder
OI the party and roObed tnem OF 81 500. lie went
TO Saguache and told 80 many connictlnR stories
about his companions having oeen murdered that
he was arr ested on susplcion but noihIng being
proved he was released. lne story that he related
most frequently was TO the effect that the party
| had suffered from hunger and not being able to
procure food or any klnd drew lots as q last re-
| sort, " determine VINO should be sacrificed. mus
one after another was literally eaten up by tue
survivors until tnere were but two left. one was
q stout muscular man and the otner, Al Packer, o
small man. In order to save mis- own lie the latter
murdered tue NTH man anu tnen crossed 10
the settlements. This story was 50 improbable
tnat no one believed IT, for, had there been q
shadow OF truth Ia u, many believed hat the neHh
oil ole man would have prevented the rest rom
starving through the wnOe winter As this parry
o. artists was passing along an open track Just
above the scene cl the tragedy, dog whlch theY
Dau with them ran down into the hollow aud set
| up such barking and nowling that they were az
| tracted W tne spoL where theJ L0und nVe skeAe-