The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-08-13
AUSTIN.
How the Nevada Town Appears to
a Salt Laker.
The Railroad, the Churches and
the Saloons.
AUSTIN. New, Aug. 8, go

individually. to cay the least. When
| left Salt Lake, expected to fnd 8
; much worse place than my eyes be-
/. held when | arrived IN Austin. II
: had been represented to me as rough
, in the extreme, wild, and, in fact,
almost everything but what it should
t be. OF course, Austin is very muoh
. different from Salt Lake and other
eastern cities and towns, but l never
} expected TO zee and associate with q
! more sociable class Of people than
those whom | have met during my
stay here thus tar. This IS truly a
western town, one of those that We
!, often real about While other cities
all around here have surrendered
their western peculiarities, Austin has
} chung tenaciously to hers. Perhaps
we can account for this By the fact
that, until few months ago, there
was no railroad nearer than Battle
! Mountain, on the Central Pacific,
, ninety miles distant, snd the
journey from that point to this
Eas made in that relic
lof barbarism - the old time
stage coach, and dreary enough Trip
it must have been. 1t Is rather tire
same even now, as the eye rests upon
the same kind of country from the
time Battle Mountain is lett until the
narrow gauge terminus is reached.
The country between the two places
is dry and barren id the extreme.
There is scarcely human hsbitation,
except the section houses lately
reared, and the now discarded stage
stations during the whole distance; or
rather if there are any l failed to see
them. The country between the two
places, very much resembles that
stretch of land lying on the line OF
the Utah Western, between Brighton
and the Great Salt Lake. Sage brush
and sand, sand and sage brush. AS
far as the eye can reach there seems
to be nothing else, and the time made
by the Nevada Central gives one 6
cnRnce to become thoroughly &C
quainted with these features of the
country. 1t is seven hours, making
the trip of ninety miles, leaving
Battle Mountain at l.30 p.m., and
arriving at the terminus a short
distance below the town, at $50, from
which point the passenger is con-
veyed to the hotel by a Stage
coach. The Nevada Central Railway
was completed to the present terminus
or the 9th of February last, shortly
before II O'Clock, midnight The
contractor, General James II. Sedlis,
had said he would bring a locomotive
inside the city limits by the 9th of
February. II he did. the company
was 10 get subsidy of $500. 900 from
Lander County. At shutdown on the
evening of the 9th, there Was about
mile OF trscklaying to be done, and
{ notwithstanding the fact that the
weather was intensely cold, work was
prosecuted by torchlight and bonfres,
and the feat performed. There was
great rejoicing among the citizens at
that time. The road is now being
brought up Main street, and will be
taken around by the Manhattan
Mill. in Upper Austin, when track
laying will be stopped. The compile
ton OF this road establishes Q new era
in the mining industry Of the country,
as it had previously labored under
great Disadvantages, because OF the
difficulties of transportation, both of
passengers and freight. But it is
different now. Freight csn be brought
here much cheaper, and passsn-
ger fares are also a great deal
lower. This road was carried to its
successful completion by syndicate
of New York capitalists, and the
members of that organization showed
true western grit in building it against
the obstacles they had to surmount,
and during one OF the hardest winters
known since the occupation OF the
country by tho whites.
The city of Austin contains some
where about 1900 population, and is
built in the Toiyahe Mountains, near
the exact spot where gold was first
discovered in this district. Shortly
after the discovery of that precious
metal fortune seekers focked here By
the hundreds, and it was but short
time ere thousands of people were on
the ground, all looking for it. As
natural result. many went away badly
disappointed, and some very fatty
broke; the excitement gradually died
out, and Austin finally settled down
to what it is at the present time, a
steady, easy going, but rather lively
mining town.
The mines that are being worked
here at present to any extant are
those owned by the Manhattan Min
ing Company, which employs great
number Of men, and others owned by
the Manhattan, but leased to other
parties; and also some few besides.
There are also number over In
Yankee Blade, and rich strike WAS
reported from there few days ago.
Austin has never had any trouble
to amount to anything that other
mining towns and camps have ex-
perienced; it has generally been quiet
and peaceful, comparatively, and
much that made mining life vsry
Idissgreesble in other places has gem
orally been wanting here, at least, TO
a great extent.
Austin boasts of three churches
Methodist, Catholic and Episcopal
and they are generally well attended,
and ere qaite cTeditable structures.
1t has also large number Of saloons
and many substantial business houses,
which do very good business. The
saloons are open all the year round,
and, as an adv" 10 the ReUeilLe has
it, "the gentle beast is always at
home in the club rooms" These
menageries are always we'll patronized,
and many q dollar changes hands
til ough interviews with the keepers
of these wild beast" shows. ''Fhe
tiger" is an object OF amusement and
expense to great many.
The people of Austin have a good
supply of water, brought in pipes
from springs and a reservoir away up
on the hillside; and hydrants are dis
tributed all over town, much the
same as in Salt Lake.
A great many persons have money
: invested in mining stocks, and though
: stocks are quiet now, the daily quo
tations are watched With considerable
interest by large number of persons,
who have fortunes-tO get.
More anon. VIpI
Cheap.