The evening times., 1896-04-18

Knotty points came up to be unentangled;
long conferences were 10 lie held with the
officials OF the Interior Departme mt; the
plans OF the Wyoming people had 10 be
explained with care for detail and
such a knowledge OF all the facts and cir
Cumstanccs involved that only onc who had
made the subject Il special and careful
study could do: after the Interior Depart-
mcnt was satisfied, both as to its land
aud legal department then the President
was TO he urged to sign the contract, all
of which was finally accomplished.
1t is not too much 10 say that this re-
suit is largely due 10 the six weeks of
hard work done 10y Congressman Mon
dell. The new law is going TO I've tried
thoroughly in Wyoming. Two great COM
pInies have secured the segregation of
about S0,0OO acres of public land in the
Big Horn BASIN, in Northern Wyoming, one
OF them beaded by Col. W F. Cody Buffalo
Bib, and are now at work construct
ing great irrIgating bitches, which shall
cause barren acres TO bloom and 10 bios
som as the fields under Southern SUM-
II is expected that By means OF this law
over thirty thousand people Will eventually
settle i'll the new State
But this was not all the new Congre ssman
had to do for the good OF his State. In
the center OF Wyoming are located what are
known as the Big Horn Hot Springs. noted
The springs are wonderful, and exceed in
value those found in other parts of the
country and the world. Congressman Mon
dell tried them one day after long, hard
ride over mountain passes. He heard
what those enCamped at the spring side
had to say, and there and then he made up
his mind that, II possible, he would ask
the government TO purchase the waters,
with sufficient adjacent territory, and
set them aside for the public use, as had
been the case with the famous springs in
Arkausas He was soon able TO interest
the Interior Department in the matter,
and after numerous conferences, an agent
was appointed to negotiate with the
knosbone and Arapahoe Indians for the
purchase of the land and the springs, and
that agent is at work today.
Another matter OF vital Importance 10
the whole west. and especially so 10
wyoming was the work of the tOpo-
grapt,ic survey under the Geological Sur
vey. In the past the survey. wnlie mace
nv conscientious men. has been but OF little
practical value. because the surveys were
not marked on the ground. Congressman
MondeII, who is a civil engineer of some
merit. set himself to correct this work.
and has seen success crown his efforts.
The work OF the topographic survey In the
future will be marked with two stone or
iron posts on each township or equal area
of land showing the elevation above sea
level and tied into the public land sur
veys This will be of inestimabie value IN
irrigation enterprises and in many other
ways in the new and developing communi-
ties. -|
Mr. Mondel is a young man. from
Young state but lie accomplishes vast
amount OF work. Representing the entire
state he has interests widely diversified
to look after. He has the farmer OF the
north and west. the miner or the north ana
SOUTH the cattle and sheep raiser OF the
central portion, the railroad men and citi-
zens generally OF the cities along the trans
continental railroads.
Congressman Mondell Is the son of a
gallant captain of the First Missouri Vol
unteers in the Union army. one OF those
famous fighting regiments from ST. Louis.
He was born in st. Louis In 1850. being
now in his thirty-sixth year. Like most
Western men, his early life was struggle
against the encrOachmcnts of poverty and
was put in devoted to good, hard work on
a farm. and afterward in railroad con-
struction and the development of coal
properties. This last work induced him
to go to Wyoming, where he aided in
founding the city of Newcastle. now his
home, and of which place he was mayor
for seven years.
In Washington the Wyoming Congress
man is well liked. His love of work and
his ability TO accomplish what he sets his
mind on has caused him to be respected by
his fellow-members in the House. His
opinions on those questions of which he
has come to be known as the master-irri-
cation and Western Surveys-are eagerly
sought after. and IL certainly looks as
though Mr.. Mondell had entered on a
long career as useful, hard working.
efficient Western member of Congress.