The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-03
per day; the barkeeper tasks you 10 cents for

1 per DAY; the oafkeeper tasks You ~ cents Tor
for drink Of tho viIest kind Of
| whisky, to the doctor who charges $5 q
visit and lawyer whose fee is $40 for short an
| swer to very short question. And SO it goes.
They cannot forget that the days of no railroads
| are past, and that competition is coming In to
| start new order of things. The ground the
city is built upon has been dug over and
| tunneled under from one end to the other
in the search for the 800 000 900 of gold that
PANIED out of the gravel and sand that was for
| centuries being washed from the mountain
| gorges into the plain that spread out like an
amphtheater in the midst of the circle of mount
aims that surround it 1t is several miles in
tent and is covered with the remains of the old
| sluices that conveyed the water to the various
| "diggings" The gambling houses which appear
| to be co-extensiye with the saloons, regular
| ly licensed, run night and day as openly as any
| other business, and are constantly filled with
| men of every shade of life; from the wealthy
and independent cattlerancher and millionaire
miner, banker or merchant, to the low down
cowboy, Chinaman. niger and rowing prospect
or They sit side By side, betting their piles on
the turn of card till it is all gone, when they
| quietly get up and start for the door unless
| some friend asks them to take drink to go
| back TO the mine smelter, or other occupation
| to earn up few dollars more to spend in like
manner, while the vacant chair is quickly taken
| by some other victim to loose his pile in turn
The dealer meanwhile shuff1es and deals the
cards. and rakes in the loosing fellows chips or
sang froid' and with celebrity utterly incon-
ceivable. While dealing some game didn't I'M
derstand, to dozen different players, the cards
would fly with lightning rapidity as straight as
an arrow to the man for whom they were intend
ed, and it was utterly impossible to tell whether
they came from the top, bottom or middle of the
deck, or from all three, the cards flying from
both hands at the same time. Scarcely loud
word is spoken, but everything is as orderly and
quiet as experimenting among the gamblers
and lockers on, and all other noises are drowned
in the banging of pianos, saving of fiddles and
rattle of bones that furnish entertainment to
the beer drinkers and idlers who lounge around
to kill time
Yesterday morning went through Chinatown.
and saw many beautiful specimens of their
handiwork, but the prices were 80 high | didn't
invest in anything Except the stores there
| seems to be little else than washing and ironing
| going on among them. In the spring and sum-
| mer they raise and sell all the vegetables These
are carried around in large hampers, swung on
| yoke across the shoulders, and going from house
| to house every morning. The vegetables are said
| to be unsurpassed anywhere and are cleaned and
kept covered with white cloths all ready for the
| table.
MARCH 8.-To-day the weather is mild and
| beautiful, the snow fast disappearing, even on
| the mountain sides, though the highest peaks
| are heavily coated. l first wrote you that the
mountains were all to the south and west, but
| since the atmosphere has cleared l find them
| in every direction, surrounding basin several
miles in extent, with Helena climbing along the
| principal gulch and up the sides of the mount
| ain and foothills on the south You here
| the ideal picture OF mountain scenery in what
| ever direction you look, with all the
varied hues from the evergreen scattered
| pines to loveliest tints of atmospheric
| coloring and dazzling snow. At almost any
| time OF day one can see the top of one or more
| mountains in the distance, apparently standing
up in the sky without base or support, the haze
| or cloud hiding the lower part being SO nearly
identical with the rest of the sky as to entirely
cut off the top of the mountain from its base,
and as often. while you looking at it, the
mists disappear and the scene is transferred
| to another peak.
This morning spent half an hour or more in
the fire watch-tower that overlooks the city and
valley, and was we'll repaid for the climb. The
atmosphere was rare and as clear as amber, and
it made me puff and blow like porpoise, and l
was quite sleepy when sat down to write half
dozen lines to say would stay another week,
and have wakened up and written half dozen
pages instead.
MARCH 11.-Ths afternoon, accompanied by
Mr. Ritchey, we took long walk over the ''old
diggings," whore. twenty odd years ago, twenty
thousand men spent their time and muscle dig
ging, washing and fighting over the 'pay dirt
for the nuggets and scale gold that lured them,
like jack olantern to disappointment and
death. While millions had been taken out only
a few got it, and the same energy, suffering and
| hard work spent in almost any other business
would have produced five hundred
per cent. more to the average worker.
You would be surprised in looking over these
last diggings at the destinations that would hold
men TO labor. In general way they have been
abandoned, though few work about them every
summer, and nearly all the dirt taken from the
cellar excavations, along the old gulches, is
taken to some of the suices and washed and it
not nfrequently happens that the lucky con-
tractor gets enough gold out of the dirt to pay
for the whole work, though it as often does not
pay dollar.
Ara cls ,s~b& L1e0r L. l,c
again bleached the mountain tops and this aft
ernoon l saw mountains many miles to the
| north that through the vapory or hazy atmos
phere usually enveoping them, had not seen
before. The mountain scenery is constant
source of varying interest to me-the view
stantly changing with effect of sun. atmos-
phere and time of day. To-day it has been raw
and blustery, very like the typical March day;
but the wind has fallen, and the stars and moon
shine with the old-time brillancy and sparkle
that used to enjoy twenty odd years ago while
camping through western and northern Dakota
| MARCH 15.-Yesterday, Itook climb up a. spur
of the mountain several hundred feet, overlooking
| the valley and saw the main range of the Rock
les stretching many long miles to the northwest,
| while to the southeast the big Belt" range was
| visible twenty or thirty miles away. 1t is said
| the mountains In summer are covered with most
| beautiful wild flowers away up to the summit.
| The mountains we'll named. for, although
there is good deal of soil on them immense
rocks crop out in all directions, nearly all stand
ing on end, or at various angles, but none lying
| fat showing volcanic action everywhere; in
| fact, nearly all the rocks are volcanic. and are
| tumbled about in every possible position.
| The contract for the courthouse has been
| signed at last. will start few men to work
| tomorrow. and start home the last Of the week
| to complete my arrangements to return for my
long stay of twelve months, or until complete
| the work.
A Point for Senator ingalls,.
Washington Post (Dem.)