The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-02-21

j. ACcsAky tiu0A GU 1OA OCO 0f1u btlO llOW Qullu
, + ing has been recently completed, lin 1885,
1t Is 80 by SIS f., has Office, bedrooms
dining-room and kitchen oil cased with ma
i tive pine. and walls two feet thick. Their
| are monstrous stoves, and on the foo
Brussels carpets. Provisions and woot
re brought up on burro or mule back. Thu
three.signal service officers take turns ii
staying here all the year and have storm
every day out of the S65. Water boils al
1859 instead of 2l2o, or rather melted snow
does, for that ishilgt he:water they get.
4 Observations are taken FIVE times day
by means Of "a barometer, hygrometer
thermometer, and anemoscope. They are
telegraphed to Washington from this haunt
Of ''Old Probs. I" Three daily reports are
made, also monthly, quarterly and annual
reports.
Not far to the northwest Of the station
a slab of painted wood crowns tumulus
of rocks 1.-THE grave of Erin O'Keef, child
of Sergeant O'Keef who was eaten by
mountain rats), and bears the following
inscription:
| "Fair Cynthia with her starry train,
Shall miss the In thy silent rest
| And watt one sweet, one speric strain.
| To Erin dear, among the blest.
ERECTED BY
| SERGEANT JOHN AND NoRAH OKEEE,
| TO THE MEMORY OF THEIR INFANT DAUGHTER
ERIN O'KEEF,s
who was destroyed by mountain rats
MAY 18th A. D.. 1876"
The history of Erin O'Keefsis pure fic-
tion. It is the sole phantasm of joke,
which the imagination of man has been
able to evoke from these dreary solitudes.
In summer the Peak s summit is dotted
with patches Of snow about 20 feet square.
In looking down, rocky buttresses form
long aisles below you, and their projections
are duplicated in shadows which sweep
oyer the valley. The depths Of these un-
rooted cathedrals are unfathomed craters
Of desolation. Where the hills part right
and left Colorado Springs lies as chess
board; beyond the plain ocean upbears
snowy cloud sails. The horizon at the
west closes in with infinite mountains,
slope beyond slope, range beyond range
WApiA uilO dAttQCo III OtlC oO1fsA bpCCJ1 uLAA
where blue mingles with violet. The
mountains SEEM turned by the share of
some gigantic plough, driven by a mighty
hand with a thunderous roll over the face
of the patient earth. You descend Pixies
Peak in sunshine and shower.
Elm sunlit fall ;of rain,
In crystal vapors everywhere,
aaRssE Blue isles Of heaven laughed between;"-
and you are more than likely to pay with q
wetting for this sublime journey. So
warm wraps and waterproofs.. are necessary
comp agnoas--d de voyage.
MINING.
Though to the desire to possess the pre-
cious metals, Colorado Springs and Man
itou owed their first settlement, the min
ing industry has never been prominent
here. Emigrant's gold " flashes in the
creek beds when stone FLASHES and all
along the mountain sides are the deserted
prospect holes, once worked industriously.
No one doubts the existence of ores. but
they are in state of dilution, as it were,
drawn out through vast extent of earth
and stone. and unless some benevolent
gnome should consolidate them in his cru
chile and send the nuggets rolling down
into Colorado Springs, there seems no
prospect Of their utilization. Within the
last few months, however, mining has
taken fresh start In the vicinity of Colo
RADIO Springs and Manitou. A number of
claims have been staked out from which
the several assays have given promise of
satisfactory results in galena, silver and
gold ores. One assay made some time since
of gold and silver ore from the Eureka
tunnel gave result Of $4,000 to the ton.
A diamond drill will soon be put in opera
tion to bore in the mountains for ore.
Whether or not the apparently near pros
pect of mining "boom is realized, a
good investment Of capital would be the
erection of a smelter in the foothills or
Colorado. City. The necessary fiuxes can
be obtained near at hand and large tracts
of mineral-producing country, which
would be tributary to Colorado Springs,
could have their ores reduced here, which
they now send to Denver or Pueblo.
+ 11sOiSO04s
To the geologist the vicinity Of Colora-
do Springs and Manitou is full of interest.
Though new country, historically, geo.
logically 1t dates back to the earliest
ages, and has remarkably varied develop
ment. from the Laurentian granite in Ute
Pass to Glacial Boulders on the Fontaine's
banks. Prof. Hayden said that s'around
Colorado Springs is tract Of ten miles
square, containing more materials of geo.
logical interest than any other area of
equal extent in the West" The region is
rich in fossils-in particular, saurians,
Faculties and insects. Every precious
stone, with the exception of the diamonds
is said to be found in this State. In this
vicinity most varied and beautiful agates
are abundant, and "smoky quartz like
that of Switzerland. is found on every
mountain slope. The shelves of museums
are filled with specimens found in the
neighborhood too numerous to catalogue.
Fine building stones and gypsum exist in
seemingly inexhaustible quantities.
SHEEP AND CATTLE RAISING.
Ell Paso is both a cattle and sheep
raising county, but decidedly the latter.
Stalk-dried grasses in this southern lati-
tude afford sufficient pasturage nearly all
the year and it is not often necessary
to feed your stock. The storms are sell
dom severe enough to injure materially.
Nearly all the claim land is now taken up,
that is, all in the vicinity Of water-courses
but good ranches are to be bought at vary
ing prices. In embarking in the sheep
business there are your corrals to build,
herders to hire, and the yearly work of
dipping and shearing, lambing, &C., to be
taken into consideration.
About 200, 900 heal of sheep are pastur-
ed in this county, with a wool clip last
season Of 100000 pounds. All this wool