The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-09-24
VOLUME XIII.
COLORADO.
Interesting and Instructive Letter
about Mines, Miners, &c.
HoNKwARD-Borxp. Sent fs 1879

thlHS III TINS OF Colorado mineral state.
Ever since 1858, when a company Of daring
fortune hunters, who had pushed their way
over six hundred miles across the uninhabited
plains, attracted by the glittering sands Of
G Cherry creek and planted the town Of Aurora
where Denver stands, the reputation Of
? Colorado's mineral resources has been continu-
? ally spreading and to day has reached beyond
the confines Of the continent and far into the
Old World.
Colorado seems rich in gold, silver, lead coal
iron and copper, but the precious metals are the
ones that are just now commanding the great
est interest. The discoveries in these especial
yin silver for the last eighteen months or two
years, have been enormous, and almost every
day new and magnificent discoveries are being
added to the list already made. The whole
rocky range, embracing the western border OF
the State seems sparkling with precious ores.
The older mining points, Boulder, Cen
trial City, Black Hawk, Georgetown. etc,
are growing less popular and famous being
ovcrshadowed as it were, by the transcendant
I wealth Of the San Juan and Gunnison sections,
in the southwestern portion of the State, and
the mines about Leadyille. The total bulH0
production OF the State for the current year is
variously estimated from s25, 900 900 10 $780,
. 100000. From what can hear, it will certainly
/ reach the first figures, Of which amount s., 5OO-
/ 900 viii be reduced at the Argo smelling works
near Denver, owned by Boston company, and
superintendent by Senator y p Hill.
/ Leadyille, for several months, has been the
. objective point Of nearly every one who goes TO
Colorado to dig or buy stock in the mines so I
shall speak principally Of it, While possessing
the chief characteristics of any other mining
town, in its boundIess wealth, rapid growth, and
physical peculiarities Leadyille is an anomaly.
/ I think have heard it said some where knoir
1 have-that 'Rone wasn't built in day" The
same could scarcely be said, in truth, of Lead
vile. Minerva, at a stroke from Vulcan
hammer sprung full-grown from the brain Of
Jupiter; LeadvilIe, at stroke of the miner
/ pick, sprung from the bowels of the Rockies,
| a full-grown city. About two years ago, some
! old miners, engaged in placer mining in Cali
/ fornia Gulch, were attracted by some heavy
silver-bearing stone that would occasionally
get into their sluice-boxes. On making ex-
plorations up the gulch, the outcrops Of the
stone was found, and, approaching is rich
ness, they began to develop the vein of silver
ore. Other discoveries soon followed, the re
putation Of the carbonate mines, their extent
and richness, rapidly spread, and to-day the
erstwhile mining camp has assumed the form
and proportions of city of from twenty TO
twenty-five thousand people or the total
bullion yield Of the State for 1879, it is conf
IDENTIFY asserted that the Leadville mines viii
furnish not less than from Sl40O0,000 to Sl6,- |
900, 900. Its gray hills are treasure-vaults, |
and give up their wealth with lavish profu-
sion Whatever Midas touched turned to
gold; all Leadville and it's belongings turn to
silver.
II would be impossible in the brief lin
its of a letter to analyze the physical and
social growth of Leadville. 1t is just barely |
possible that LeadvilIe can't be analysed at all.
The city proper is situated gently sloping |
plateau about two or three miles from the Ar
kansas river, and about fifteen miles from its
source, and is surrounded all sides,
cept the South, by lofty mountains. Its atti-
tude is some 1O,25O feet above sea-leveI which |
causes the unaccmated ''tender-foot'to pant for |
breath unless he exercises himself very gently. |
just across the river, and appearing so close in
the clear mountain air to make them seem
but a pleasant morning walk, rise the lofty, |
white-capped peaks of the great Continental
Divide" from which the melting of the SHOWS
which eternally crown their SUBMITS, unites on
the west TO form its rivers the Pacific slope; |
on this side the waters starting their long
course to the Atlantic.
The world has sent to Leadville its men of
genius its practical business sense, its virtue and
its immortality, its spirit of adventure and its
prudence its daring and timidity, to pay court
to its shrine and the separate and apparently |
incongruous parts have been moulded into
homogenity; but they have formed curious
a mass, as strange whole, ever looked |
upon by 1t represents all nationalities
and all conditions of society. Considering its
mixed multitude of surging, restless humanity, |
law and order prevail to surprising degree.
Only religion is conspcuosly absent in this /
rapidly advancing silver metropolis OF the west. |
stores are kept open and all sorts of business |
transacted on Sunday as though 1t were a COM |
mon week day.
The Leadvillians almost to a man, seem to
have forgotten that Jehovah is God of the
mountains as well a God OF the valleys, or
else thinking, they recklessly disregard his laws.
There are several ways in which man who |
has few hundreds or thousands of dollars may |
invest, if he wishes to put 1t in mining stock.
, He may become a prospector and search Tor one /
in a new place; he may buy out some prospec-
tor and continue the work already begun; he |
may 90 into partnership with others, purchase |
a mine in which mineral has already been
struck, for the purpose either of working 1t or
developing it and selling again, at profit, or he
NAV purchase the shares of mining company |
that owns a developed mine already paying div
idends. Should man become prospector, he
needs at least two partners, unless ne mas capt.
tai enough to enable him to hire two men Tor |
several months, pay them wages and supply |
them with provisions. He will then have to /
buy n mule or horse, pack upon IT a tent and all
the necessities for camp life, and going out on
the mountain side, begin to dig. To sink a
shaft or drive tunnel and timber II properly,
will cost about 81 900, and II mineral Is found,
about as much more to pay for machinery TO
work the mine to advantage. Prospect holes
that are down any where from ten to one hum
dred feet may frequently be bought for one
half or one-third of what il has cost to dig them.
If care is taken in selecting the location, and
the prospector perseVeres IN ms dlgglng, the
chances are very good ior str1kllg d paying
vein but there is danger that when the vein is
struck the owners of some older mine Will
claim it. and that injunetions and lawsuits viii
follow before the the title is settled. by the
United States mining laws, the original dls-
coyerer of vein is authorized to follow 1t IN all
its dips and spurs, wherever 1t may lead, and as
n consequence, many labOrious and earnest
prospeetor, just he has been lifted out
IF the last depths of dependency into the
bright sunlight of hope by the discovery OF
precious metal in his prospect hole, is stopped
nv the owner of the mine below MN untll the
latter can make further developments. He
might dig until the stars fall so long as he does
moi strike a vein of precious metal, but then, IN
ALI probability, will come the tug OF war In
Vulnerable law suits thus result, and the legal
fraternity have fat thing OF It
In the mining business, too, as well as IN nu-
n,erous others, monopoly plays an important
nart and those who have large capital TO go
npon, often prey upon and vietImize those who
are less fortunate. A man who has lived in
poverty all ms lie anu uelfeu ~ te
he has grown gray, makes lucky strike, but
has no means to develop business A man
M has money! in this emergency, at the price
Of the greater part of the mine, will then offer
70 help him out of the difficulty. As soon as
xrork progresses and the mine promises to be "a
-, thing on ice" sure enough, the monied pro-
Dr7etor assumes to get discouraged, talks of
diseontinuing the work, but finally offers the
;mneeunious members of the firm what, under
tbe circumstances and in his detecting poverty, /
seem an almost fabulous sum (but what, in real
itv. is a mere nominal price, for his interest
ssfreezes him out"-and then resumes WORK with