Omaha daily bee., 1888-06-24
COLORADO'S MINERAL WEALTH
A Jet Of Hot Water Three Inches
In Diameter.
A GREAT FEAT OF ENGINEERING.
The Dizzy Path of the Narrow Gauge
Railway a Thousand Feet
Above the Mountain
Torrent.


BEE. Almost due south of Silverton.
on the same river, the Animas, Il dis
tance of forty-iive miles, is Durango, a
mining town, containing n population
Of 1000. 1t is the county scat Of La
Plata county and has become place of
considerable importance as u smelling
and coal mining point. There are two
smelters in Durango, only one oi which
is in operation at the present time. Coal
mining, however, is carried on extern
sively, and the article is an excellent
quality Cof bituminous coal. A vast
scope of country is tributary to Durango,
embracing many Of the leading indus
tries-mining, stock raising and farm
ing. The coal measures are very large,
and the supply is apparently unlimited.
Much of il makes first-class coke, and
it finds market over an extensive
area of this southwestern territory. A
good article of coal is laid down on the
track at Durango for $3.50 per ton;
screened, $500; delivered in Silverton
by the car load, $3.50; retail, $3.50;
screened, s., retail 81. The output varies
from twenty-five to seventy-fve, tons
daily. They have turned out as high
as one hundred tons in Il day. The
Silverton line of the Denver 81 Rio
Grande railroad passes through Dur
nngo. 1t is quite IL smart town, pleas
antly located. has a fine climate and is
the emporium of southwestern Colorado.
Tributary to it are several fine agricul-
tural valleys, that have recently been
opened to cultivation by n liberal sys-
TEN of irrigation, thus turning at least
II half million acres into valuable arabic
lands. For eight or ten miles north of
Durango, in the direction of Silverton,
the Animas valley is cultivated. The
hardy grains, root crops, alfalfa and
other products are grown luxriantly,
and their quality is unsurpassed.
TRIMBLE SPRINGS.
Eight miles above Durango, anu
thirty-seven below Silvcrton, are the
Trimblc mineral springs-hot and cold.
The hot spring bursts out of a rock, in
stream three inches in diameter, and
but two feet away cold spring
OF equal volume shoots forth
and mingles with its thermal
companion little further on. The
waters are highly medicinal and bath
houses have been built and good hotel
erected forthe accommodation of guests,
and the place has become quite IL sum-
mer resort for invalids and tourists. Its
scenic surroundings are grand, and for
fishing and hunting one has all the
Rocky mountains before him. The
temperature of the hot spring is 1909
Fahrenheit, and one litre Of the water
in milligrams, caves in silicic acid, 50;
carbonate of iron, 56 carbonate of
calcium. $50: carbonate of magnesiu,
is; carbonate of sodium, 2l; sui
phute of iron, 10; sulphate of calcium,
800; sulphate of magnesia, POI sui
phatc of alumina, 3;'sulphuric acid,
f20; carbonic acid, 436, chloride of
sodium, ISL; chloride OF calcium, 105;
chloride Of magpesia, S4; chloride Of
potash. So. For rheumatic diseases
these waters are said to be an infallible
specific, and for cutaneous affections
and general debility they are highly
recommended. Rheumatic miners and
debIlitated old mouutaineers go there
to be cured and rejenerated.
ANlMAS CANON.
About half way between Durango and
Silverton is the grand canon OF the
Animas, through which the river
surges and frets and foams with all the
wild grandeur of IL mountain torrent.
High above the roaring waters winds
the narrow gauge railroad, In places
the road-bcd is but line cut into vcr-
blCul Wdil III SIulllec, nOSS lFOWUlHS
abutmentS tower q thousand feet above
the water. 1t is great feat of engi-
neering, and the scenery is awe-in
spring, grand and sublime. All the
route, from Denver to Silverton, "a dis
tance of nearly five hundred miles,
is a succession Of scenic wonders. The
road is rs crooked us the ways of some
men, but it is worthy the attention of
the connoisseurs in railway building,
and lovers of the picturesque and
sublime in nature. Not satisfied with
Ats great work the little giant is push
ing on up the long slope, and soon it
will go over the Red mountain range
To Ouray, whore it will unite with the
Montrose branch, extending from the
Salt Lake line, thus making IA circuit
encompassing vast territory OF plains,
valleys and mountains. Already the
railroad company is selling round trip
tickets that cover the entire route for
R2S. OF course, few miles-the dis
tance that intervenes between the end
OF the track on this side and
Ouray has to be done by stage, but that
space Will soon be spanned by the iron
rails, and trains will be spinning over
its heights and depths. Several hun
dred men and teams are making the
dirt and rock fly on the grade, and in
less than sixty days the mountain will
be scaled, the connections made and the
work finished. The entire distance by
this route from Denver via Colorado
Springs, Pueblo, Veta Pass, Fort Car
land, San Louis valley, Conejos, Toltec
gorge, Durango, Trimble Springs,
Grand Canon of the Animas, Silverton.
Red mountain, Ouray, Montrose; and
return via Grand Canon of the Arkan-
sas, Canon City, thence to Pueblo and
Denver, is 007 miles. 1t is the grandest
scenic route in the world.
CONCENTRATION WORKS NEEDED.
Owing to the low price of silver and
lead some of the heaviest producing
mines of these districts are on the eve
OF shutting down. With lead at So. 70
and silver at 9l5, rs quoted last
Saturday, miners claim there is little on
no margin left for them. The enor-
NOUS freight rates TO market, and the
expense of smelling these silver-lead
ores renders it impossible for any but
the high grade mines to return profit
able margin to their proprietors. The
paramount need of this country to-day
is a system of concentration works that
will successfully treat the low grade