The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1882-10-21
Our Colorado Letter.
Special Correspondence
f.k1DyrIIr. Cof, Oct. 2. 1882,

now stands, and Instantly the treU gold
excitement Of tbe time in Colorado bluzed
mp. Since then California Gulch. the
big raSine which runs to the south and
southwest of She cityf has acquired VA.
tional fame. Thousands OF men poured
in here at that date. and the city OF Orc
arose and had for awhile as mauy rs ten
thousand inhabitants. In 1868 it hal
hardly two hundred, aud to-day all that
Is left of Oro is half dozen dilaIidsted.
uuinhabfted log cabins. Gold washing
Is still in progress, except In the winter
months, and New Orc, a town further nj
the gulch, is maintained by the gold in.
dustry. This was the famous PiLe's
Peak gold excitement The very depos-
its of silver now so largely sought were
then trod under foot undiscovered.
Among those who sought the precious
metal were Messrs. Stevens aud Wood.
| partners Their success was good, but
their best success was to come from an
unexpected discovery. 1t WAS about 1873
that Wood, who was an excellent geulU-
gist, first made the discovery that the
carboniferous deposit in that region car.
ried silver. One day he picked mp bit
Of mineral and handed it slyly and sig
nificantly to his comrade, saying moth
ing. The comrade, experienced in the
ways of the mines, took it, saying moth
ing, and pocketed 1t. There were those
working by their side TO whom 6ne word
might be hint. Later, alone, the two
comrades cohversed with each other on
the subject of this bit of stone. They
took cautious and secret tambles over
the mountain side. They said not one
word to anybody for two years, but quiet
ly possess themselves largely of lands.
To-day both are rich beyond their earli-
est hopes.
But it is needless to revive the story of
the early discoveries here or TO give the
history of the various mines which have
|
burgh. which has enriched all of its own
ers, was struck at thirty-eight feet below
the surface, and other discoveries speedi-
ly followed Romantic stories are told
Of the vicissitudes of fortune which be-
fell the early discoverers- the Gal
lagher brothers wandered from store to
store vainly begging for sack of -four
to enable them TO go on with their work,
and next week struck mineral, and sold
out for know not how many hundred
thousands, on which they are now living
in splendor in the Champs Elysees; how
Long and Derry were just about to give
up in debpair when old Long struck his
pick In the ground in his rage, and dis
covered the wall of issure vein, one OF
the very best in camp at this present
time; how small grocer "grub-staked
hungry miner who strtick mineral
within couple of weeks; bow the small
grocer bought out the miner, sold small
interest in his mine for fortune, bought
other mines, made money out of them,
afterward became Lieut.. Governor WA
Tabor President of the Bank of Lead
Vile, and man whose income is reck
oned in millions. Whatever of trutt
there may be in these attractive tales
there is no doubt of the fact that by Au
gust, 1878, layers of chrbbhate. carrying
silver varying in Quantity froth 800 to Al
ounces per ton. began to be discovered
: throughout the range of hills which en-
circle the town OF Leadville on the east
and that great fortunes solid fortunes
! began to be realized by the lucky dis
coverers. The carbonates were in ever,
case save one, nearly horizontal depos
: its, lying at depths varying from thirty
five to one hundred and thirty-hVe fee
: below the surface, In scarcely any cas-
was blasting required In the shafts. Tw
D dollars ton was common estimate TO
s the cost of extracting the ore.
5uch astonishing bonan2as created a
+. excitement far and wide-a fnfore far eS
3 ceeding the Black Hills fever, and whic
can only be compared to the Californi
=, rage of l84S. Ten thousand peopl
poured into Leadville during the la,
three months OF 1873, and hugh machir
=, cry for smelling works aud sawmills wa
hauled over the mountains at an enorn
Gus expense, You must remember ths
these fortune hunters were gciug,no to
pleasant region like California or Nevada
). but to barren wilderness ten thousati
1t feet above the sea, where the soil wi
% not even grow potatoes, where snow il
every month In the year, aud man ha
his hands aud feet irezan one night lai
g August. Still, no hArdships deferred IL
ir adventures. Trade and business WEI
N dull throughout the wurlli aud durin
the three monihs ending Mar Ii 81, 1871
IS at least fifteen thousand men found the
IT way to Leadvllls, a large proportion {
'i them toiiiug pQinfully on foot one hul
a dred and twenty or one hundred aud lift
miles through the snow FROM Denver {
Canon. When first visited L,ad,ille
~ March, 1879, it was full Of men who ha
" no home, who slept on the sawdust q
y baT-room floors, who all seemed to bay
money enough to get food without worl
IA ing, aud who spent their days in ba
I. rooms, gambling houses, dance Lousr
Ia or on the sidewalk in Chestnut Stree
!. discussing the last great strike. Half
bed in miserable attic was worth frol
n 81 to 81 a night Stores rented at IL
=, per centum OF their cost. Mechanic
N wages were 81 to S. day. To force one
"a way into the postoflce through the throt
which beset i! from morning till night 7
quired no small e1ertiOh Of strengll
Business was blooming" Small stor
ree keepers turnei oyer their entire stock
e two days, aud then yaiuly wrote aud tel
:" graphsd for fresh supplies. Town 10
20 worth $50 in October, 1878, readily cor
- -,,andad "a nm a., M.r.I 1870