The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-06-29
Lenflvitle AZ II Is.

Last Year the newspapers teeIieu with re-
ports Of the wonders Of Leadville. This year
The discovery is made that only one side of
the story has been told. a correspondent Of
the New York Sun, writing from that city,
says: Leadville, Colorado's fair city of
pneumonia, is unhealthy. Strangers just ar
rived at the headquarters Of throat and luag
diseases are astonished to see and hear every
body, almost, coughing, and with little effort
raising great quantities Of pl+legm. Tic i'll
habitants OF Leadyille claim that the town is
healthy. IL the presence of from twelve to
thirty sheeted corpses that are daily prepared
for burial, they, with eflrontcry that is re-
markable and untruthfulness begOtten by
speculation in carbonate pocket mines, say,
"Whiskey killed them" "EXposure killed
them" If among the fortunate ones lying in
their rough collins there Should be one whose
hair is tinged with gray, caused by loss OF
money aud lnceSSant worry over the where
abouts Of the pocket on the claim he bought,
the men of Leadville say, " He was old. 1t
was time for him to die
In the middle Of May, with an almost YER
tical sun pouring its heat into the streets of
this camp, the condition OF the atmosphere
is this: GA tile sidewalk exposed to the full
glare OF the sun the heat is uncomfortable.
They tumble with their vest buttons. One
by one they are unfastened. At length, T.
escape from the heat, they cross TO the otlel
side of the street. The change is as from
Florida to Iceland. The sidewalks in the
shade are slippery. The air is moist and icy,
having a peculiar quality that chills instantly,
as a plunge into ice wafer does. Vest and
coat are quickly buLtoned, hands thrust into
the pockets, shoulders elevated and the walk
ers hope 10 harm las been done. Vain hope !
Daily,tnen meet Heath by simply crossing the
streets of this town. Death in the form Of
pneumonia turks everywhere in Lcadville.
That whisky Indirectly causes the death Of
many men is true. Men get drunk, recklessly
expose themselves, catch cold and soon die
with pneumonia. The whisky does not kill
them. 1t is the colds caught after drinking
it,swhich in a town of moderate altitude
could be easily cured, that in this camp on
the carbonate5 result in death. If a person
addicted to the use Of alcoholic liquors is
attacked by pneumonia, the result is almost
always fatal.
Another disease that is gradually coming
into prominence in this town is lead poison
ing, commonly called ''leading.' Men who
are working about the smelterS, especially
those who charge the furnaces with ores, are
most liable to this direIul disease. Men who
are "leaded become partially paralyZed,
and III many eases insane. There is 10 eS-
cape for IA man who pursues the work Of
feeding a furnace. 1t is a question Of time
only when he will be ready for the hospital
and probably the undertaken. Why will men
accept work OF this health and Understanding
character? They are hungry. The miners
tell me also that some OF the mines are pOis-
onous, men working in them being subject to
arsenical poisoning.
The population Of Lpadville is about - 900.
Most OF these men are Young. They came
TO this camp to work in hopes Of bettering
their condition. The streets are crowded
with men in search Of work. Daily great
gangs of men wande from mine to mine,
from smelter to smelter, asking for employ
ment. None is to be had.