Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1879-09-27

road to run on and that this Rocky
Mountain division being only SO
miles in length, and requiring two
engines to each train, is the best di-
vision on the whole route fer making
time. Again it is said the superin-
tendent exercises great deal of fair
ness in the matter of promotions, etc.,
! a.i0r guided by merit alone; TIA. if
/ ral!0Gler lakes care O. himself and
! fills he bi; properly he is all Ilght
IN tue matter Of promotion in the
course Of time.
As I have given yor as near as pos
aible the wages at Laramie City, I
Will now give the price of some CT
The necessaries Of life. For a house,
like the one in which my family now
lives at Eokhart, end for which [ pay
$3.50 per month, the rer here is $40,
and tie people say that rent hao fall
en- to comparatively nothing. Flour,
per sack, 100 lbs, best, SCOOPS. 20;
Colorado, per sack, S2.900$3,25;
buckwheat flour, per sack, $500
$50 rye -four, nersack, 81 00f@SS. 90
States corn, 100 lbs, $l.20(0$l.25;
oats, 100 lbs., $l9O@S2 90; potatoes,
pey cwt., $l10@$2.O0; butter, con
mon, 150l8 cents; good 20@25 cents;
honey 20(435 cents; lard lO(0l4 cents;
bacon, common, SOLO cents; break
fast 10@l2 cents; hams, smoked,
l1m125 cents. cheese New York
factory, 5000 cents; Western II! to
Is cents. l might quote everything
in the provision market, as / have
the market list before ne, but the
above will give q faig estimate Of the
price of the staple articles in the pro-
vision market here. Every thing in
the dry goods line is also somewhat
higher than in the east But | be-
lieve as general tkins they are a
great deal better articles. They are
principally purchased in California,
and the merchants tell me there is
not as much countsrfeiting done there
az in the east. The clothes made for
mining purposes are the stror gest and
best l have ever seen, but thev sell
at high figure. You will observe
that everything in the produce line is
sold by tho pound here, Board in
Laramie City can be procured at fro!a
four to SIX dollars per week; hired
gi1la III hotels end private houses do
not receive less than five dollars PEI
week.
The time having arrived for Us to
leave ti,o city for our place Of en-
ployment, We purchased a tickeS,
price $4.O0, mounted the sta4e, and
were soon on our way across the plains
to the gold fields in the mountains.
We had not gone far before We could
see plenty of game grazing upon the
plaica, several herds of aotolopes. 4
cayote, such as I have seen in a me-
nagerio, PASSED right along by the
stage with a large owl in its mouth.
An abundance of prairie rabbits and
several different kinds of game that
[ did not know Of, They were named
to me but I have forgotten their des-
ignationg. I was thinking at this
tine Of some Of the Eckhart boys
who enjoy days hunting to the
highest degree; what treat it would
We been for them to 1e here g1itE
j..E -ivte-4-snooters, "'av would
have roe.-o 5rong team 10 naal
,4e.- s,44e lone.
We arrived al what is called the
Centennial mine, where we stopped
FIR dinner. THIS is a mine thirty
mics from Laranais, which began
operations in the Centennial year. 1t
las quartz mill, etc.. and the ore
was very yaluable and TUNED out
large percentage Of gold, A half in
tefest was sold 10 New York capital
lists for one hundred thousand dollars.
1t vas worked very successfully for a
little oger year, when all at once
TIE lead vas lost and the work had
to be stopped. Mine machinery and
all equipments are standing there yet
An ample reward has been offered for
the discovery of the lead again, anl
some parties are there now prospect
ing for it. Col. Downey was one Of
the prime movers in this company,
and it ia gaii that when the mine
provaU failure, so soon after ceiling
q portion of it, that he refunded a
portion of the money. A good many
thousand dollars was taken out of it
during the time it was worked.
After dinner, which was taken in a
rude log cabin, We proceeded on our
Journey. 10 the course of ten miles
farther we struck the mountain.
Here we found a very rongb road re-
Gently made by the axe Of the pion-
Ger. The ira !eling was very difficult
ard The progress slow. We arrived
at our deaeination about 7 o'clock in
the evening. We found here stor
and pos5-offce, a hotel and quite
nalaber Of log houses, termed a min
ing cams. The mine and mill ere
about one-balf ,aile distant. The
timber in the woods is all the long,
straight white piEe, the very finest
kim for building purposes. 1t re-
quiros b-s little labor and makes d
worry neat job. We introduced our.
self to the b;ss and next morning
vr-.f IN u,,,1y ON u,ori,;nc, ~ n,