Morris tribune., 1880-09-16
WONDERFUL LEADVILLE.
Further Facts Of Interest About the FamOu
Silver City Of Colorado. ~.

WONDERFUL LEADVILLE.
Further Facts Of Interest About the Famous
Silver City of Colorado.
Colonel Elisha w. Davis, member of
the Pennsylvania Legislature, said to
Philadelphia Times reporter, on return
ing from trip to Leadviile, COL: "
1.-Two years ago little tumble-down
shanty or two stood on the site now oc-
cupied by Leadville, acity containing to-
day nearly forty thousand inhabitants.
and which do not hesitate to predict
will have one hundred thousand people
before the end of another year."
''Talk about the wonderful rise of San
Francisco and other places" con-
tinued Colonel Davis, but think of Lead.
vile in comparison with any of them
and you'll acknowledge that it must get
the palm. With its fine banking con-
Germs occupying elegant buildings and
doing very large business; four daily
papers-three Republican and one Dem
ocratic-not excelled in enterprise and
general features by any other papers out
side Philadelphia and New York: sever
al flourishing weekly journals; three
first-class theaters; numerous fine church
es, including Episcopal, Methodist and
Roman Catholic; whole streets full OF
business structures that are architectural
equals of those in many of the
large Eastern cities, and fine post
Office building now being erected of
brick and stone-it is already acity OF
no little importance. Except in the
outskirts, 1t Is not scattered like many
other mining towns, but is compactly
built up-mOre so than Harrisburg, of
which, think, it is the equal, if it does
mot go beyond that city in population.
Nearly all the temporary wooden struct-
ures have already given place to sub
stantial buildings Of stone and brick.
Any quantity of good bricks can be
made there, suitable clay being found in
the Immediate vicinity. Leadville
looks just as much like an Eastern city
as does Harrisburg. -an ~ ..
1.-THE city is IA 900 feet above the lev
ell of the sea, and ali around it in the
distance, loom up snow-capped peaks.
During my stay of thee weeks there,
however, have perceived little, if any,
difference between its climate and thai
of Philadelphia. Nevertheless, the soil
thereabouts Is not suitable for farming
TO any considerable extent, and the per
manency of the settlement must depend
upon the supply of the surrounding sill
yer mines, which for many generations
will be inexhaustiple. The location of
the city on a gradually sloping mountain
is such that during thunder storm the
people can see the lightning flash below
them. Snow remains all the year on the
surrounding peaks. 1t is amusing to see
how strangers in the city are deceived by
the apparent distance of these mountains.
started one morning to take stroll to
the base of one of them, supposing it was
about two or not more than three miles
off. Judge of m7 establishment upon be-
ing told that it was not less than twenty
miles away. The journey was postponed.
Another day, as a waggish friend and
myself were out walking, we came upon
little spring, run or brook, less than a
yard wide. My friend stopped at its
edge. and, after appearing to measure it
with his eye, proceeded to diyest himself
of his garments. ........
"What are you doing?" I asked, in sur
prise.
"Going to swim across, Of course" was
the reply. I've been fooled enough on
Leadvllle distances; but after this I'll
| try to make due allowances in my calcu.
lations." t ars
sTake it all in all, the cost of living in
| Leadville is no more than in Philadel-
phla, while the remuneration for labor
is from two to three times as large as 1t
is here. Beef is cheaper and better there
than here. The only supplies that
command higher price there are vegeta-
bles. Day laborers earn from 30 to 81 a
day, carpenters, 81; miners, from 81 to
$3.50, and other workmen in like proper
ton. Any plucky man gong there with
a little capital ought to get rich If he
minds his business. The entire surround
ing country abounds in mineral wealth,
chiefly silver and iron. The fact that
lead Is found In large quantities, COM
bined with these ores, gives the city its
name. Silver, however, is the most
abundant, and, of course, the chief treas
ure sought for. Anthracite coal was re-
Gently struck, and the supply promises
to be very great. Every trade ana pro
fession flourishes. Undoubtedly Lead
vile will be the center OF the silver MIN
ing business, for the next twenty-five
years. It is now by far the largest town
in the State.
'The population is not so heterogen
Gus as Philadelphians might suppose
The majority of the people are of Ameri-
can birth, recruited largely from York
State and the oil regions of Pennsyl.
yania. New Workers are getting hold
of all the big mines. Several mines, in.
cluding the Robert #. Lee, Pittsbure
and Crysolite, have been paying at the
rate of 100000 year, for the last si1
menths. IF Leadvllle has done SO much
with no railroad nearer than thirty-twc
miles, what may be expected when thu
road now running from Denver to Buens
Vista, will be finished as far as Lead
ville2 Indeed, it is probable that tn,
Denver and Rio Grande road also; viii
soon be extended to Leadville, opening
up traffic along the Arkansas river. A
present, passenger travel and hauling
; must be done by means of stages ant
wagons between Leadville and Buen,
Vista. There has been no robblng done
however, since Judge Lynch hanged ytw,
fellows last fall. Indians are not feared
as there are none nearer than the Gun
nison country, thirty miles d lstant, an'
they are fast disappearing from there.
III Revival Of Suicide.
1t has been remarked that signal re
% u =.