Mexico weekly ledger., 1879-07-03
SAN JUAN.

EDITOR LEDGER-Dear Sir: We,
in this far away western camp Of the
San Juan, with the mountains of
Utah and the smell Of the Red ma
waited 10 As on the Norvajo and an
occasional scent of the Ute us he
passes over the trail to visit his South
ern neighhor, look TO the east for
news of home, and kind greetings
from friends, left '"oyer the hills and
for away" -Four long weeks of sus-
pense and al occasional missiye reach
es us from the east, and then comes
another interval of suspense, (How
is that for mail facilities.) The fact
is, we have 10 mail service on the
route between here and Silverton,
consequently have to depend on the
kindness Of the occasional traveller in
this direction, to bring Il mail, and
then The accommodations after il
reaches what is designated here as
1.-The post office" which consists Of
an open cupboard, with a row of
shelves, manufactured out of Il dry
goods box set on end, sometimes
having pendant from a spike driven
in the logs of the cabin, at Other
times set upright, leaning against the
counter of tie saloon, in which it is
situated, open at any and all times
to investigation by any and all per-
sons, mixed up in beautiful confusion,
the room used every night as a dor
mitoryfor the bOarders and travellers,
that may %sOjOurn with the proprietor.
The place of dcpositc for letters 60
ing east consist OF an empty cigar
box set on the counter CT the bar.
The party who occasionally ofilciatcs,
Or rather who is officially known as
post master, receives little orno COM
pensation for his services, couse-
~quently is compelled to attend to his
own private business for Subsistence,
and therefore everything Is left to
the honesty and accommodation of
the general public, and | am glad to
say, that we have no cause to COM
plain of either, but the difficulties and
disappoinments, are located further
east. A great many letters reach us
four or five weeks behind time. mark
ed missent, "Auray." All com
munications Cor this place should read
via Alamosa and SilvertOn. Omit
name of county and write Colorado
in full.
FIRE IN THE MOUNTAINS.
few days after our arrival in
camp, a prospector in drying his
meat allowed the fire to get into a
tree, and as everything was in a parch-
ed condition it soon spread, and fam
ed by a strong breeze the timber was
soon abage. The roar and crackle
as it leapcd to the very top of the
lofty pines, was similar, the noise
produced by the simultaneous move.
ment of a number of railroad trains,
over bridges and tressels. and the
falling ana crashing of the dead
monarchs of the forest, when struck
by the stiff breeze. sounded like the
boom of heavy artillery, the whirling
ard eddying of the winds through
the gorges and canyons of the ada
cent mountains, drove the dark and
murky clouds of smoke in every i'm
aginabIe direction, covering the
heavens with a dark fall, through
which the sun shown with q sickly
glare, but it was not until night
threw her sable mantle over the
scene, that the grandeur and sublimi-
tY Ies the catastrophe, eliminated.
The fury of the two elements had
nearly consumed the most infiamable
material Of the dense forest, and left
the tall and CHASTITY trunks standing,
blackened and withered of all their
former beauty and now the firery
fend erept surely and steadily around
and amongst the bodies of the slain,
where thickly piled, it formed a
glowing funeral pyre, which flashed
and frightened as each seperate pile
was struck and famed by the rapid
breeze, not glazing, but sparkling and
red, with intense heat, which, viewed
by us, through tie tall forest o ftrees,
EL