Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-05-08
THE NEW ELDORADO.
A Sketch of Leadville, the
Newest Product of the Mining
Fever.

NChcsl IOuuCt Va bhC 4AAhAhS
Fever.
II. II. in the May Atlantic.
California Gulch, in which or on
which the new town of Leadville isgrow-
ing up, lies at right angles to the Arkan-
sas valley, and about twelve miles from
the headwaters Of the Arkansas river.
1t was wild gulch, its sides grown thick
with spruce forests, and little snow-fed
creek making its way down among them.
But the waters of the creek held gold,
and men soon found it out, cut down the
spruce forests, and began placer mining
all along the sides of the gulch. They
are torn up and riddled to-day as If an
earthquake had shaken them violently.
All this wilhelm the stony mountains at
the head of the gulch, lay stores untold
OF solid silver, of which the miners
lower down, working for gold sands by
the handful, ne ;eT 50 much as dreamed.
tits old story of treasure biding the time
of the man who knows its secret. One
dav,a man who knew one stone from an
other picked up a bit of mineral and
harded it slvly and significantly to his
comrade, saying nothing. The comrade,
experienced in the ways of mines, took
it, saving nothing,a and pocketed 1t. The
gulch was full of men there were those
working bv their side to whom one
word might be q hint. Later, alone,
the two comrades conversed with each
other on the subject of this bit OF stone.
They took cautious and secret rlmbles
over the mountain side. They said not
one word TO anybody for two years, but
0uietly possessed themselves largely Of
lands. To-day, in one mine which these
two men own, you may see, 1t IS sad,
six millions of dollars worth OF silver;
not infer it, trust, hope, believe it, from
the dip" or clearing" or 'vCin, rs is
usually the case in silver mines, but see
it; the walls of the galleries are 1t! The
miners simply chop the walls down,
foot by foot, and wheel out the ore IN
barrOwS.
And the whole range is believed to be
full of the precious metal. 1t is the
western slope of the mountains lying
back of Fair Play, on whose eastern
slopes many profitable mines have been
worked for wears. Ii is odd that miners
did not at once think il one side OF a
mountain were made of silver the other
was likely TO be. But they did not; and
so the Lcadville silver bided its time.
The town is a marvel. In six months a
tract of dense spruce forest has been
converted into a busting village. To be
sure, the upturned roots and the freshly
hacked stumpS of many OF the spruce
trees are still in the streets OF the town;
fallen spruce trees, too, on which you
can sit down TO rest, and here and there
clumps OF superb tall ones standing,
which afford most grateful protection
from ColoradO's hot May sun-the sun
that made that mud | spoke OF at the top
of Wcston's Pass. Great spaces OF
scorched sage brush are to be seen, its
gray stalks looking all twisted rs II they
had been wrung out wet and thrown
down To dry. Great spaces covered
with chips, also; nobody had time to
pick up his chips, and they are handy
10 burr the houses are all log cabins,
or else plain, implanted board shantles.
some O. the cabins seem to burrOw In
the ground; others are set up on posts,
like rooted bed steads. Tents, wigwams
of bOughs: wigwams of barpOles, with
a blackcned spot in front where some
body slept last night but will never sleep
again; cabins wedged IN between
stumps: cabins with chimneys made OF
flower-pots or bits of stoyeplPe-l am
not sure but out OF old hats; cabins halt
rooted: cabins with sail-Cloth-roois;
cabins with no roof at all-this repre-
sents the architecture of the Leadville
homes. The Lcadville places OF bust
ness are another thing; there is one com
pact, straight street running east and
west. i'm the centre OF this medley OF
sage brush, spruce stumps, cabins ana
shanties. Here are shops, restaurants,
billiard rooms, dance halls, banks, law
vers' offices, hotels, livery stablcS-all
that town needs There are fairly
built wooden houses, principally Of the
mathematician style, and one story
high-a few of them two stories high
and not without some pretence OF finish;
the platforms and steps in front OF them
make one continuous line OF lOunging
grounds for Leadville men. ! counted
fortv-Six at one time in a short distance,
men either leaning against doOr-posts,
or sitting with their elbows on their
knees. The middle of the street was
always filed with groups of men talking.
Wagons were driven up and down as
fast rs if the street were clear. 1t look
eel all the time as il there had been a
fire and the people were just about dis
pcrsing or a. if a town meeting were
lust over. EVERYBODY was tllking, nearly
everybody gesticulating All faces
looked restless, eager, fierce. 1t was
Monaco gambling room emptied into