The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-01-14
ON THE sRYIER.
Prospect for Cattle and Sheep in
that Region Etc.

To the Editor Of TEE HERALD.
The unusual and severe cold weather
that we are having at present in tbs
section of the country is not withoutits
tragedies and disastrous results. Ru-
mors of sufferings and hardships, alike
among man and beast, are coming in
from all directions. One instance in
particular appears, from what ] can
learn, to be very sad case, and that is.
the death of an aged man by the name
of Niels Swensen, who died in stack
yard at Deseret few days ago, Most
inhuman and ugly reports of the mat
ter had reached your correspondents
ears, which seemed incredible. it being
made to appear that the old gentleman
was driven out of doors by one of his
daughters; but | have endeavored 10
find out the truth of the matter, and as
far as | am able to learn, the facts are
that, whereas, his daughters, daugh-
ters-in- law and son were tired of hav-
ing him around, principally on account
of his eopious and dkagreeable eXpec-
torations and infirmities, for he was 81
years of age, they prepared him bed
III Straw stack, IN which he slept dur
Ing the summer and fall. When thelate
cold snap struck us they wished him to
come into the house and sleep, but
either from dislike for children, for
they each have families, or want of
room, or ether causes, he continued to
remain outside, with the inevitable
result. ] am informed his legs were
frozen almost to his knees, and that the
flesh peeled off in places when he was
being prepared for burial.
The thermometer has ranged between
and % degrees below zero here for the
last five or six days, and by the way the
pe]ts are coming in these must be heavy
loss among the sheep on the range in
this vicinity. l was told last evening
by prominent sheep owner, who just
came in from the western range,
that among some herds they
feet,s from which infer he meant that
stand immoyable, chilled with the cold,
riatI they are pushed over, when they
quickly stiffer in death. The same
gentleman facetiously remarked that if
the present cold weather continued for
a couple of weeks longer, there would be
no necessity for our home wool growers
to clamor for protection, or to squabble
with the Democrats over the tariff.
Cattle on the range are very poor, bat
30 far they seem to be doing fairly. The
snow is from one to six inches deep on
the desert with occasional drifts of six
to eight feet.
Work Is being prosecuted vigorously
on the hume across the Sewer River at
this place, in which water is expected to
be carried from the canal on the west
side to irrigate the eastern section OF
this agricultural district. All the
available land in the neighbor-
hood is taken up and q season
of prosperity is Anticipated, not
alone in an agricultural sense, for g
copper smelter is already erected about
eighteen miles westward, which will
soon be in full blast. Another is being
built on the river bank about one mile
north of the railroad station. Both of
these furnaces expect to smelt princi-
pally the ores of the Detroit Mining
District, situated thirty five miles north
west of Oasis, comprising large area
of mineral bearing rock, but very little
developed, yet showing fatteripg indi-
cations. and, as far as work has been
done, immense deposits of copper, gold
and silver ores, not to mention bismuth,
iron, etc. These works will give en-
ployment to many teams and single
hands. and we hope there will be no ex-
cuse for loafers when spring opens.
With these fair prospects, We trust our
camp will soon be listed among the
bullion producing districts. There has
always been more or less of a cloud
over thi part of the country, but with
the coming summer we think it will
naSs awau and tho horizon ha hopoa
forth clear. J. q. II.