The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1895-11-07
A DAY IN LEADVILLE.
A Brief Account of visit to This Famous
Mining Camp.
Editorial Correspondence.

I
Although it is nearly two months
since the writer visited Leadville, that
worlds greatest mining camp, there
was so much of interest to be seen and
worthy of note that even at this late
date shall presume that our readers
may be interested in an account Of a
days visit in this, in many respects,
wonderful city.
/ Leadville, Col, enjoys the distinction
of being the most elevated city on the
continent, for 1t is nearly two miles
higher than the sea level. To be exact
it has an elevation of 10000 feet and it
rains or SHOWS there oftener than any
other town in the country. II is city
of some 10000 people, the third largest
in the state, ard is located in basin or
park few miles east of the Tennessee
pass Of the Continental divide and is
almost encircled by snow capped peaks
of the Rocky Mountains. The site is al
most identical with the famous CalifOr-
MIA Gulch placer mine where millions of
gold were taken out in mining camp
located there over 20 years ago. The
excitement over the gold mines there
was duplicated ten years later when the
largest carbonate mining camp in the
world was opened and Leadville came to
be town known as the great silver
producer of the country. It's glory now,
however, has somewhat been shorn by
newer camp at Cripple Greek, 80 miles
to the eastward, almost under the shad-
oW of Pixies Peak SO the medal for
being the hardest town in the country
was transferred from Leadville to
Cripple Creek, for the newest mining
camp is where the tough characters al
ways congregate. When silver went
down in price the mines that produced
most gold with the silver were the
longest to be operated. Those at
Cripple Creek were big gold producers
and the rush from al Colorado has
been in that direction the past two
years. Cheap silver has caused Lead
vile to run down at the heels q good
deal Of late. Everybody complains of
hard times and good many people
have moved away to other camps. In
its better days nearly every foot Of
ground on the mountain sides sur
rounding the town was staked out and
prospected and mines opened that pro-
duced ore. One may stand on almost
any street corner ID town and count
two or three hundred mining shaft
houses on the side hills and some of the
mining properties that have been work
ed are located on corner lots in town.
The mineral vein underlies the town
and miners only need to go deep
enough to strike mineral anywhere III
the basin in which Leadville stands.
The chief trouble in working down in
the valley is the water encountered in
mines, SO the mountain sides are the
localities of the mines thus far. Out OF
all these several hundred properties
that have been opened up andwere ore
producers before silver got SO cheap,
there were not more than 25 or 30 that
were being worked at the time OF OuF
visit. and these were turning out ore
that was running very rich in silver or
good percentage of gold. All the
others were idle because they could not
be made to pay at the present price OF
silver. OF the six big smelters located
here all but two were closed down I'M
Til the mines opened up again and that
cannot be before silver is worth some
where near 75cts. per ounce.
A visit to q smelter is an interesting
trip to any one not familiar with meth
DDS employed in separating the shining
metals from the ores as they come from
the mines. The writer was one Of q
company of ten who were driven to the
Arkansas Valley Smelter, the largest IN
Leadyille and The most modern 10 the
state. It was an immense plant COW
ering almost ten acres of land and cost
inc a quarter OF million we are told.
The ore is delivered here in wagons
| from the mines near at hand or shipped
in by cars and dumped into large bins
that contain the ore of dozen or more
mines mixed together and no two OF
them probably of the same value, when
| the whole is thrown into the top of big
furnace with the proper proportion OF
lime rock, coke and iron ore and melted
up together. At the bottom of the fur
mace the flux is drawn off at one level
and little lower tiny stream OF silver
colored liquid trickled ont into mould
that casts it into pigs weighing about
100 pounds. While the pig may look
like silver it is very deceiving, for it is
mostly all lead, some silver, portion
copper and a little gold. A sample is
takec out Of the pig for assaying and
the bar IS then ready to be sent away
to the refneries where the metals are
separated. The refining of these bars
is mostly done at Denver, Omaha anc
st. Louis, and is a much more intricate