Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-08-15
I'm COLORADO.
THE CHAR lcTBRIsT1cs OF THE COLORADO
MULE.
Camping Officiating Claims-cld Pros
pectors' Magnificent Scenery
Waterfall and Storm.
Correspondence Of the RECORD sros.


COLORADO lin Camp, July 30, 1882.
A party of US, five in all, reached this
camp on Saturday, and rolled ourselves up
in our blankets as soon as we had eaten
supper. We are travelling on mules IA
not particularly obnoxious method of loco
motion except so far as concerns
THE COLORADO MULE.
This beast is sometimes called the boom
erang mule, doubtless from its unhappy
faculty of kicking round corner and al.
ways returning to his owner. In fact am
assured that after once coming into posses
sion of a Colorado mule, one is obliged to
flee the country in the night to get rid of
him. No one steals him, it is next to i'm.
possible to sell him, and no amount of
beating will ever induce him to leave the
lay out he hiss, for the sake of fleeing to
evils which he knows not of. We have
three of these pack mules in our
crowd and never lay down to sleep at
night without expecting to have my head
kicked off before morning. Yet, after all,
this much-abused beast has made Colorado
the great mining State it now is. To the
mules tremendous staying qualities, his
ability to live for days on very little water
and good deal less food, and his patience
and courage under adverse circumstances,
does the prospector owe much of the credit
Of his mineral discoveries. Some of the
biggest mines in Colorado would still re-.
main hidden away in the mountains undis.
covered and inaccessible but for the mule
| never lock on block of buildings in
Denver but feed a respect for this patient,
despised and much misunderstood beast of
burden. These animals have been in my
company twenty.four hours, and had suf-
ficient consideration for my feelings to
spare my life, hence this panegyric and
may their shadows and distance from me
never grow less.
MINERALS FOR THE EXPOSITION.
Camped near us are party of miners,
who are ON their way to Denver with dis
play of minerals for the exposition, which
opens in August. Their chief exhibit will
be mass of almost pure copper, weighing
but little less than Ton, from a mine near
Roster. The specimen is well calculated
sation, at the exhibition. 1t is drawn by
four lazy oxen, and at the rate they move
| doubt very much if the ore arrives in time
to be classified. The same party have
with them fine collection of the beautiful
stones which abound in Colorado, and
which when polished show variety Of as
tonishingly brilliant colors, and in a cabi.
net have very snowy appearance to those
unacquainted with them. Here, however,
they are too common to excite comment.
THE SPECIMEN BUSINESS.
This reminds me to tell you of the proper
tions to which a certain business has grown
in Colorado. In Denver there are half a
dozen leading houses which are rapidly
accommodating wealth, selling specimens of
Colorado geology to the Eastern tourists.
One of these travelling chaps, who will de-
mand judicial investigation if he is
charged over ten cents for cigar, will
readily giveS5 for a piece of polished cobble-
stone, under the impression conveyed by the
seller that it is the only one left in the
country. While Colorado is one of the
richest spots on earth for odd and attract
i've freaks of nature, the business is being
somewhat overdone, and some of the curious
things, inventoried at fabulous prices, are
really manufactured right in Denver, and
sell readily when a high sounding name is
attached. / thought .he climax
was about reached when a dealer
tried to sell me an American eagle for
S25, apologizing for the steep price on
the grounds that only few weeks before
it had invaded a kitchen, kidnapped year
old baby, and when shot at by the irate
father, had dropped the child on rock
from hight of SO feet, and dashed it to
pieces. No doubt an inquiry for the bones
of the child would have caused the articles
to have been forthcoming.
LOCATING A COPPER NINE.
Since Nevada spectators have palmed
off SO much worthless property in the East
as silver mines, the Colorado miner inds
copper more profitable discovery. The
mineral is abundant, easy to work, and
when found at all is in good quantity. a
man goes out to locate copper mine be-
fore breakfast, much as one would start out
to catch mess of trout. Mcpherson, our
cook, came into camp at o'clock yester-
day morning, and notified US that he had
discovered copper mine in the
spur of the hills. He took pains
to state that he should locate and own the
entire discovery but by threatening him with
instant death, ride on one of the mules
and some other cslamities, he was induced
to agree to divvy up his find with the
rest Of the party. In less than an hour we
had formed stock company, elected the
officers and held the first meeting. Acting
on the regular California plan, we stocked
the mine with one hundred thousand
shares, gave the discoverer ten thousand,
and the company took the balance. 1t was
then proposed to set aside come stock for
working capital, but no one wanted to sur
render any of his, so we increased the
stock one hundred thousand shares and
"laid it aside. No sooner was the stock
divided up than felt the old Nevada in.
stinct creeping over me. consulted with
one of the party quietly and outlined a
plan by which we could freeze out the bal
ance of the crowd. He had lived in
Virginia city in early days and took
kindly to the scheme. That night l
slept a troubled sleep. / was think.
ing of the vast riches opening up
in the mine and wondering which would
be the shortest way to steal it bodily. /
felt well assured that my partner was a
rascal, else why would he consent to such
partnership. 1t was clear that 1 must
look out for myself, or else be cheated out
of my honest rights. l thought of the
assessment plan, by which we could freeze
out our partners by collision with the
Secretary, who would put down our assess.
ments as paid when in reality we had put
up nothing. Then I studied how could
throw my partner overheard, become a
bloated mine owner, ask my fellow-citizens
for office, and secure the respect and ad.
miration of my fellow-men. Then l could
unload a few thousand shares on grateful
community, and live off of the assessments
for the rest of my days, the sole owner and
manipulation of the property. What more
pleasing dream of opuleace and contentment
than to see man living life OF ease and
luxury, while 10000 people are sweating,
delving, scrimping, and perchance robbing
their fellow-men to support him. l was
confident that, with the experience / had
in Virginia City and on California street,
l could introduce the assessment plan in
Colorado with unquestionable success.
RELOCATING.