The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-11-23
DILLON.
Winter in the NOrth-Rumored
Mining Sale.
Reckless Use Of Figures By News.
papers.
A Hotel Man who Talks Plainly
About a Utah Editor.
Correspondence of the HERALD.J
DILLON. M. T.. Nov. is. 1850.

10 DILLON, ID. T., Nov. Is, 1880.
II Winter has been upon as here fc
= some days, and it is still here
l. Whether We are to have let up,
: not known. However. from indica
cations am inclined to believe anl
. to hope thar We will have a Wsrme
. spell after the frosty season expert
enced since the month came IN.
Nothing special has occurred herr
! ! since my last missive. The usua
stream Of incoming and outgoing
travellers is to be seen daily, some
going to warmer chimes to winter,
and others returning from waits to the
states and elsewhere. Among them
l notice quite q number of Chinese,
most of whom are leaving, whether
tor good or only for the winter l do
net know.
1t is rumored that the Hecla Min.
ing Company, of Glendale, has sold,
or is about to sell, it's valuable proper
ties to some French company.
Whether the report is true or no.
am not advised, nor whether the
French company is the same which
fell heir to the gopher holes in Bipg-
ham, after Professor Holden got
through with them. At all events it
is to be hoped that the purchasers Of
the HeclA's properties will have
better thing than the successors OF
Holden have found their property to
be.
What pity it is that you news.
paper men are so careless in your
figures (nothing personaD where min.
ing matters are concerned. l noticed
this morning in Montana paper the
following statement:
The pay roll Of the Alice Mining Com
pany, Butte, for some time past has had
upon 1t the names of Us employees,
drawing in the aggregate $4,000 per
month.
Now I am not prepared to dispute
the correctness OF the above etate-
ment, nor to find fault with the news
paper for uttering it, but propose to
simmer the thing down little for
luck. The usual average rate OF
wages paid to miners will not, l
think, exceed 81 per dsy; st that rate
175 men would receive in a month of
thirty days, $21, 900 instead of $50.
600 as stated. Or If the sggrega e is
as great ss is reported the question
arises, where do the $29, 900 60 to?
This is no business of mine, as l am
not SO fortunate as to own any OF the
shares of stock in the Alice Mining
Company, although it might be inter
esting to the stockholders to know
where the money goes and indeed it
is quite likely the books will show
just now it is. and my only object in
abiding to the matter is to illustrate
the carelessness exhibited in the use
of figures, and to show what evils
might result therefrom.
Before closing allow me to make a
suggestion, also intended for the
benefit of newspaper men. There ia
hotel in Dillon known ss the Valley {
House, and kept by young man
well known to everybody hereabouts
as Charley Hawks. There is news
paper published semi occasionally at I
Salt Lake City known as the Utah 6
Commercial. Now, a commercial
paper, to be worth even SOC. year,
ought to be reliable in its statements.
OF this there can be no room to
doubt, and according to this rule,
Charley Hawks is of the opinion that 1
the Utah Commercial is not only IN.
reliable, but that it is liable to lie. i
In a recent number of the above 7
paper q wsll-written article appears
in the editorial column. devoted to
description of portion of Montana,
including Dillon City. In the main
perhaps lite descriptions may be cor
rect, bat Mr.. Hawks finds fault WITH
some statements in regard to the
Valley House. In the first place be
says that many of the statements are
false, as for instance, the charge that
be makes travellers pGy for sitting in
chairs by his stoves Although at the
time the writer of the article alluded
to must have been here, the town /
was but three weeks old, and ss the G
hotels are usually taken down at the 7
old and removed to the new terminus, 8
the hotel men always do ali in their t
power to make their guests comfort {
able while tearing down and building 9
up and this | also know to be true.
1t cannot be expected !hat under such {
travellers can be made 6
as comfortable as in old and perma-
u, ~ - |
are occupied snd of course charged {
for, but when they are sll full, chairs
and dining rooms and barrooms are
free to guests who, if supplied with 4
blankets, can and do occupy them,
fires being kept up If the weather
should be extremely cold. The Utah
Commercial editor says that he saw
gentleman charged "a quarter for
sitting in a chair some two hours"
that be was charged half dollar for
Gan hours snooze in Tough bunk
with the proprietor" Mr.. Hawks
says the first statement Is lie, and
that the editor of the Commercial has
never stopped at his house, conse-
ouently he could not have ''snoozed
in his bunk" which, by the nay, is
a very comfortable bed upon q good
bedstead and IN g con- Portable room.
Persons who travel ought 10 be
careful not to make statements
foreign to the truth, and more espe-
cially such as are calculated to injure
others, and they ought, l think. to
make allowance for the uniowsrd
circumstances attending q removal OF
the terminus on this road. Mr..
Hawks cGnnot conceive why any
traveller should, without cause. avail |
himself OF the editorial columns of
the Commercial to strike an unde-
served blow at his house, By describ-
ing it as ''a good place to avoid"
although admitting that the table is
well enough" 81. D. J.
PEARL SCARF Pms, Pearl Earrings,
Pearl Studs, Pearl Finger Rings, at
E. ]. SwANER & Co.'S. MI