Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-05-23
The Growth Of LeadVIIle, Col

HAVING heard very little of this new
and wonderful mining town before
came here, write suppOsing that not
much has been heard of it since I left
Boston. Leadville is situated in the
gulches of the Rocky Mountains, 10, 200
feet above the level of the sea, and yet
higher still round about the level of the
town stand mountains whose bald
crowns up among the clouds show
" timber line clearly cut and the
bounds of vegetable life as distinctly
marked as the surveyors line could
make it. It would be difficult to i'm
agine a more cold, bleak, desolate
picture than this snowy range presents
as you view it from the streets of Lead
vile. The weather is intensely cold
here, and although 1 have not seen a
thermometer, I am informed that the
mercury has been so deg. below zero
since l have been here. At this alti-
tude it is very difficult for newcomers
to breathe, as the air is SO rarifed and
thin that it does not seem to answer its
purpose, but you feel as though you
would like to fan some air into cor
ner and get hold Of it for one good full
breath. The nights are much colder
than the day in proportion, and it is
almost impossible to keep warm
enough to sleep unless you have a fire
in your room.
Ore year ago last July the first
framed and boarded house was COM
menced in LeadViIls, and to-day there
are 1000 or 5000 people here. The
Hos1r Nry oh
and are increasing.
As soon as the spring snow-storms,
which always prevail IN March and
April, are past, it is expected that ar
rivals will number 200 or 800 per day
at least, and many predict, and it does
not seem unreasonable, that there will
be from $4,000 to $4,000 people in and
about Leadville before the middle of
July.
Water-pipes are being laid, a gas
company is being formed and the
horse-railroad tracks will soon be laid
from Chestnut street to the mines.
Two railroads are now being hurried
through with all possible haste by com
peting lines for Leadville, one from
Denver on the north and the other
from Canyon City on the south, and
both lines stoutly insist upon their pur-
pose of entering Leadville by July 1.
This does not seem probable, but with
the rich goal of LeadVille, with its tons
and tons of freight both ways and its
thousands of passengers, who dare to
say it is impossible for these stout
Western hands and enterprising
brainsP Thousands of horses and
mules are now engaged in hauling
freight of every description to Lead
vile, and bullion and ore from Lead
vile to Colorado Springs, Denver and
Canyon City, butnOne of the ore except
the richest is moved now, as the
freights are very high, and thousands
of tons of low-grade ore are heaped up
waiting for the freight train OF the eX-
pected new railroads.
The log cabin is the building which
answers every purpose here, dWe1ing
houses, stoT es, Courthouse and ho-
tells, although the hotels and some OF
the stores have moved back the origin
al log cabin and built on a two story
front with Mansard roof, which makeS
them look quite respectable with th cir
coat of white paint Many new brick
and wood blocks of stores, banks and
hotels are being built, and some are
nearly done. Amuch-needed Postofice,
with 9S2 boxes, is nearly done. The
Chronicle reports that $500 to 5000
letters are received daily through the
mail, and at any time in the day, and
even late at night, a line of forty to
sixty men may be seen at the delivery
window waiting their turn.
There are three daily papers pub
lished here, the most prominent Of
which for enterprise, thrift and ability
would do credit to any Eastern city.
Land in good business locations here
is worth from so cents to S1.50 per
square foot. Green logs are worth S6
per thousand, and sawed into lumber
is worth S35 per thousand. Proprie-
tors of saw mills viii notice fair profit
in this margin between logs and lum-
Der. Dry lumber brings from $40 to
SI2O per thousand, and there is none
to be had at that Brick are $40 per
thousand and hay S65 per ton. Water
brings S5 cents per barrel or 3 cents
per pailful. You can get q '4shine"
for 25 cents, or " per week for reg
ular customers" Whisky saloons
flourish and gambling shops are alive
and go in with q rush seven days and
nights in the week. 1 never saw such
a hard looking set of men as LeadTille
is full Of; but yet never saw a more
orderly, goOd-natured set Of men any
where in my life-even the poor drunk
en- fellow who accidentally jOstles you !
on the street will turn around and beg |
your pardon. Cor. Boston AdreytISeT,