Morning journal and courier., 1889-12-03

Junction, we struck inte the high line trail, which is steep and rocky, and used for pack ing supplies to mines over the divide-which we followed, going onward and upward, un- til we could ride no further; then dismount- ing we left our horses and climbed over the broken, jagged rocks. reaching our goal quite out of breath. What grand panora- ma of mountains, sky, narrow canyons, deep precipices, bottomless gulches and little lakes thousands of feet high, is unfolded to our view. As far as the eye can reach to the north, east and south of us are range after range of mountain peaks, some of them crowned by eternal SHOWS of every form, size and color, which blend mistily in the distant horizon. What grandeur! What vastness! we exclaim as we gaze with won dering awe on the mighty works of the Great Creator. When it is taken into consideration that the mountain regions of Colorado alone cover an area of about sixty thousand square miles, faint idea can be formed of their magnitude. In front, nestling in a hollow of the mountains, is the little town of Red Mountain, while further north are the Yankee Girl, Guston, Alexandria and Paymaster mines, the buildings, from our elevation, looking like toys, while the rail- road and the many roads and trails looked like pencil marks traced at random. We found beautiful little lakes and level parks here above the clouds and fourteen thousand feet above the level of the sea. On the Fourth of July we made similar trip to the top of one of Red Mount peaks. We took a trail through Corkscrew Gulch, which by the way is most appropriately named, over mountains of shifting yellow sand, where a misstep would be disastrous, on over moun- tains of broken red rock, climbing higher and higher, seeing occasionally @ solitary cabin high above timber line, perched aloft like an eagle's nest, and about as inaccessi- ble, the home of some enterprising miner. After riding over deep SHOWS, the horses go- ing down nearly to the top of their backs in places, we reached the summit, where we had grand view of the surrounding peaks, the Sampson mine on Bonita mountain, In which so many Connecticut people are inter ested, lying on the east of us. We gathered little punches of pink and white flowers growing in the crevices of the broken rocks, where not a particle of soil or @ green leaf was visible. There were several small lakes here and we ate our lunch of crackers and snow near one of them, our faithful dog sit ting demure and upright on the snow to re- ceive his equal share.
 A railroad has been completed this sum- mer from Ironton to Silverton over the sum- init of Red mountain, which is called the
 
 curves, Y's and turn table. The grade ia four and one-half per cent, and it is the most circuitous as well as the highest rail road in the United States, being eleven thou sand, two hundred feet at Sheridan Junc- tion, the highest point, which is four hun- dred feet higher than Marshall pass. A novel feature of this road is the issuing of silver passes, which are handsomely en- graved, to favored few. One was sent to m nf road, that being inlaid with gold. There are | two stations on this mine, one at the ore and one above at the coal switch, distance of | three hundred and fifty feet, but measured by rail one and one-tenth mites. At turn table between these two stations tine engine l is reversed. It takes more than two hours | to make trip over this road, and although the distance is only twenty miles, the fare is l two dollars. A large amount of freight ls l carried over, for which exhorbitant rates are 1 charged, the train stopping at stations where | there are no buildings to leave supplies fol l the miners in the mountains. At one oi | these stopping places are a few scattered l houses, the remnant of town called | Chattanooga, that was buried underneath 2 l snowslide in the terrible winter of 'S3. have seen women standing in the doors o | some of these houses with arms akimbo, an6 little children clinging to their skirts, gazing at the train until it was out of sight, ant l this glimpse of the outer world will soon b. | lost to them when the road is closed for tn, l winter. I never pass this place without be ing saddened. It seems such a hopeless life completely isolated from the world and il constant danger from the winter snows. II think of life spent here, of dragging ou the days of a miserable existence, fror | which the only escape is death. If perso is sick, unless he is well-to-do, dooto
 is among the impossibilities on account ( the enormous fees charged. An acciden occurring in one of the neighboring mine some time ago in which one of the men wa badly injured, doctor was hastily sent fo from the nearest village, nine miles distant On his arrival at the mine after an examina tion of the patient he saw the case was hope less, that he had but short time to live, hi hours being already numbered. The poo l fellow died that day and the doctor brough | in bill for his services of $250. This bein( | strenuously objected to, he finally settled by l taking little less than one-h half of his origi nal charge.
 The miners as a class are very intelligent | keeping we'll up in the news of the day Tn, l advance of civilization in the West is du, chiefly to them. They explore the mountains and unearth natures hidden treasures. Traill | are then made, afterward roads are built 1 then railroads follow, and little towns ant | villages spring up, all business being de pendent on the mines. Some of the mine adjoining are very rich, millions having beel produced, and the supply is apparently inex haustible. Many carloads of ten tons each netting the owners $25. 900 and $50 ,000, hsv been shipped from these mines. Life in tn mountains has it's summer as well as it winter phase. In the summer the mountain sides are covered with beautiful flowers o the most delicate tints, but which lack per l fume. Then there are many birds of gorgsou l plumage, and thousands of tiny hum ming birds whirring through tn air. True the rainy season, whicl lasts from June to September, i not so pleasant, but there are some pleas ures even then. The clouds which form il fantastic shapes on the mountain peaks o which encircle them like wreath, are yer, beautiful as are also the brilliant rainbows Sometimes two distinct ones are seen at tn same time, at little distance apart, whicl reach to the ground, the background of rocl and green mountain showing dimly through The months of September and October ar the most enjoyable here. Then the sky 60 blue and cloudless, and the air 30 pur and bracing, it is luxury to breathe it in One of the peculiarities I have not iced In the west, is the number of judges, a well as captains and colonels one meets IT know at least five judge in the little village of Ouray. On remarkin this to Judge S., leading lawyer here, related the following little anecdote with
 good deal of gusto: "A stranger stopping a certain western town, was struck with tt
 number of titled persons he met. nearl
 every one bearing an appellation of son
 kind, and inquired of bystander how
 was there were 30 many noted men there, an
 received the following reply: Wall, ye So
 stranger, this is the way it was; when tn
 ere town was fust laid out we named some
 the folks Ginerals and some on em Captir and some on em Majors, and when we g
 through there was a hull lot left, 30 '
 called all the rest on em Jedge."
 This is a most wonderful country. Fl Switzerland of America. Descriptions al tame, and to form any idea of it one must q 1t for themselves. D.
 FOUND.
 The man who objects to being dunne