The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-09-10

Next come The Spanish LeaAs ~
are visible for hundred miles. as Ine
train paases on. south and leaves snem ,S se
the left and leaving Badly Peak 49,
feet high, away to the right; you Oom
along by the base of Greenhorn pear anu
enter the foot hills of the Sangre 0e OhtisIo
range. From this point 70 Wncre w
leave the bills and enter the VaIley Oh tne
Rio Grande, il must De 20 or 80 mics,
and Ia as interesting ride as one can take
by rail on this continent IL - called the
;s q a9e feet. This is the highest elevation
reached by any railroad 10 North America.
There are several points in South America
where higher elevations have been reached'
The railroad over this pass makes some
very sharp curves and in one place makes
reverse curve. The sensation IS some
times very curious rs the train goes whiri- |
ing around some Of the short curves, with |
trees and rocks on one side and trees, |
rocks, and deep gorges extending thou
sands of feet below on the other SIDE;
where little thing like 0 broken rail
might send you In On instant. 1t was
amusing to see some Of the passengers
erasp the seats and lean the other way to
help balance the train. There is no end
to the grand scenery over the pass, some
of il is as wild and as grand as any 10 the
state. The summit station, / forgot the
name. is about as cold a spot - ever got
| into in September without an oVeFooat,
Two or three buildings are scattered
among the straight pine trees. ! asked
one of the train men if it was always az
cool there. He looked at mo more 10 pity
than 10 anger aud said it is cold here in
winter" and 1.-THE wind blows" remarked
another. They tell me however that the
road is seldom ever blocked with snow,
even in the DEEPEST cuts of the pass, The
descent of the mountains is about ss slow
AZ the ascent, and when the train strikes
the level plain at Garland, near Fort Gar
land. the headlight of the engine can be
seen at Alamosa, twenty-five miles away,
as it comes almost 10 straight line till
the road strikes sthe Bio Grand river and
then this town. Aeg1 go
Society here isn't what might be called
refined. 1t is mixed, the principal female
proportion being Mexican of question
able responsibility. About the only ones
to be seen fare 10 dance house where
drinking, all species of gambling, and gen.
eral decentralization reigns openly and SUI
premely, The principal business here is
freighting and furnishing mining outfits.
A stage line aud several ox-express or
freight lines start for the San Juan (pro-
nounced San Wan country. New Mex
leo aud Arizona, and sometimes to Texas.
Besides these there is Mexican "Burro
Although these come into play more at
Del Norte, 40 miles further west, and in
; the mountains. This method of trans
portation is not as good as walking, but ID
lis pretty good for freighting over the
treacherous places in the mountains,
There are two kinds of freight that look
t comical strapped to "Burro"-that is
? lumber and hay. A lumber train consists
p of fifteen or twenty "Burros, with about
6 i 200 feet of lumber strapped to each one OIL
them. The lumber is strapped on each
4 side OF the animal, the ends of the boards
{ protruding ahead and behind three or foul
r feet, and 10 some instances dragging OF
:, the ground. Ii is strapped so tight tha
neither animal or lumber can get away
from each other, wind SAINT blow then
2 apart (the wind is all strapped out of tht
D lumber) and then the animal is started OF
\ the road. He knows just where to go anC
5 Just how to keep the ends Of those boards
n ont of the rocks aud himself on his feet
q The train looks very much like lumbe
i. yard walking of. When loaded with haY
Q the bales are piled on and strapped t,
= Mr., 'Burro" till all trace Of him is lost
d and the train looks like so many grea
Y piles of hay crawling over the mountain
e The San Juan country is west and nortl
?, of this point and east of the Ute Indial
n reservation. The Ute Indians are con
q temptible race and are scattered all owe
a the state. The tribe has recently had
d big hunt, as learn from one of the mum
u Der, up on the Republican river and re
5. turned with plenty of Buffalo robes an
ID meat. This river is said to be the bes
70 buffalo region in the west. But that 20
d may have some idea of the mining bus
sr ness in the San Juan country, L have take
ID some pains to learn the true situation @
p, affairs 1t is unquestionably countr
y rich in mineral, but requires much NOR
y capital than is here now or likely TO b
II here for some time to come. Silverto
n seems to be one of the principal mimi
re towns. If you go into any of these mimi
lg towns you will find a lot of fellows VIII
le seem to live off what little the miner
le make. For consideration they will shov
1t you some rich claim that you can buy a
II the way from few hundred to thousand
g of dollars, and when they have sold yo
ID the claim you will be apt to discover tina
10 you are badly sold yourself One migt
Q. as we'll 90 among lot of jockies at a hors
8, sale to buy horse as to allow these fe
Is lows to get hold of you. The way to Wis
10 these mountains is to put on old clOthe
at and get out into the mining camps at one
x not forgetting blankets and rubber coat
re for it is cold at highland rains at any tim
q night or day without any provocatio
ID whatever. The claims are mostly owne
T. by the original discoveries, who hav
D. worked them little and sworn TO enoug
Of more to enable them to hold them unde
to the law and have settled down upon ther
D. waiting for capital to come along and wor
al them for an interest in them. In man
ly instances these fellows have just enoue
is claims to keep them poor and some If
~ stances IN want for what they call ''gru
ID money" When they get the last mouth
g full disposed OF they dig out few sacks q
~ ore, sell it, and sit down to wait, or sell
n or interest and sit down for anothe
lie wait till the proceeds of their sale are gon
70 again, AL that is needed in this countr
70 is capital and good business nen who III
Or derstand the nature of the ores and kno
how to handle them, As far as | hav
u been able to learn they are mostly smell
to ing ores. and some are very rich, The
is contain gold, silver and copper. Many {
these mines are above timber line aud ca
1t NOT be worked only few months 10 tn
% year Very many of the mines produce
ID low grade ore and are not very proftabl
To- TO the owners. You know what timbt