The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-07-12
ably equal 70 that which has already De
qua for the adjoining gold districts
An Interesting Country.

gun Tor the adjoining gold districts
An Interesting Country.
The Journey from Locmtstcn 70 Ccn-
c1nulIy unfolds so many scenes o< Inter
est 70 the traveller a. 20 be e15cyacle
even fn the present suitry weather. The
read leads for a long distance up the
valley Of the Ssnlehekin. with many cross
irxs os that sfruous stream mountains
rising Ito feet on each side. with ruggeSi.
crzx4y fronts OF many hnes. and plies OF
sliding shell rock reaching far up from
their feet TIE valley Is fertile N lhs
extreme. as corn. tomatoes, stra woerrlss
and grain attest At Tire head OF tns
valley the road winds around one ena
OF Fish lake. winding around the noun
tains. which has TO visible iniet or outlet,
bu. g believed to be fed BY springs N
It's bed The fact that severaA msaes
below. the volume OF the sfnlehekin =
considerably increased without any ap-
parent cause. gives rise 10 the ocaier sna.s
the water OF Fish lake filters through
the gravel and sand and enters thai
stream from below. From the lake iae
road winds up a narrow canyon. NnsFs
the trees give grateful shade and where
the turf Is frightened BY tiger Haies IA
great patches. This canyon cuts rishl
through the ridge with hardly percep-
tibls rise and fall In the grade where y
passes the summit, and for the -FOUR
miles at IT'S western end. its bed Is oc-
cupied By Conconuliy lake. another mys-
FERROUS body OF water. with no visipfo
source or outlet At ITS lower emo lhs
canyon spreads out and makes room Tor
some good farms on the gentle slopes
at the base OF the mountains. Then the
twtee-ru.ned but stgu living town OF Con-
conully comes into view, with the NOISY
torrent OF Salmon river pouring through
its midst from north to south
Some years ago Conconully was &C.
etroyed BIZ IRE, and was only rebuilt 10
be wrecked again In lss4 by great wave
OF water which rushed down the canyon
from the north and carried all before II
The town was already under water ana
the people had taken 10 the hills 10 wait
for the food to give up possession, when
a cioudhars twelve miles Up the river
gosged a hole In the mountain such as
might be made by the explosion or
powder magazine. and sent a liquid bat
tering ram dashing down the canyon
snappsng OF trees, rolling bouiders before
Il, washing the rocks clean OF soil al the
mountains feet II was a wall OF water
convex on the surface and thirty-flye feet
high in the center, and IL spread over
the town. beating down buildings with the
logs Il carried with II. delving q new
channel for the river and leaving deposit
of rocks. sand and driftwood several feet
deep on the streets and trim gardens, so
that the site now resembles an abandoned
hydraulic mine. as one man expressed II.
Only two or three buildings escaped, and
one structure. OF which the lower story
was a store and the upper story a dance
hail. had the boards torn off its lower
half, the second floor torn Off and the
upRr half dropped where 1t now stands
beside the bridge. like a one-story build
Ing on stills. But. disfgured as II Is by
its watery visitation. Coneonuliy is sin a
beautiful town In its setting OF green
mountains and with the rich valley OF
Salmon river, glorious In fresh foliage and
rich-hued flowers stretching on TO the
southwark.
From Conconully the road climbs a level
bench overlooking the river. and after
coursing straight across il for a couple
OF miles descends into the valley and cuts
through the mountains to the west by
ascending draw and going down shady
valley 10 cut across one OF the rivers
windings. Then 1t enters the canyon
again and climbs 10 thu main street of
Ruby. which stands high on its west bank.
Here one finds rows OF neat residences
without an occupant stores without
stocks. owners or customers; hotels with
out host or guest, handsome school,
house with neither teacher nor pupil.
Many OF the houses have been sold for
sums ranging from $40 10 500 to farmers.
WHO nave kAhFu lttSii apart thNfH
away and put them together again on
their farms. but there are still enough left
10 make Ruby appear like a town II there
were only more people there. But the
population has been reduced TO fourteen
persons so few that they can be named
IN a paragraph. There are Mr.. ". H.
Brown. superintendent Of First Thought
mine and the other Bourne properties:
Mrs. Brown, Miss Rena Wilcox and Mr..
William Maratta. comprising one house
hold: Uncle Ned Payne, who runs the sole
remaining saloon and who drove the first
stage from Portland 70 Salem, Or, on
May s. 1850. and can tell many a story
OF experiences with Indians and stage
robbers; Mr.. and Mrs. f. NJ. Hathorn.
who run the hotel and restaurant; Judge
s Barnhart. the mining recorder. who
has seen the town grow up and fade away
around him. County Commissioner Robert
Allison and Mrs Allison: Mr.. and Mrs.
r. n. Long. Mr. Ed Sutton. Mr.. r. l..
Bennett and Mr. J. w. Jewett ITp the
steep side OF Ruby hill winds the road 10
Loop Loop, az the head of Loop Loon
canyon near the summit OF the mountain.
Here IS another deserted village. where
two old bachelors make their home among
tenantless houses which once rang with
reveiry. These are Jack Hayes. who
breeds horses on the bunch grass heights.
and A. ]. Culver. a farmer who has re-
Gently Joined company with him in the
town. This is al that Is left OF a towr,
where hundreds OF men once lived ard
labored- L. X. HODGES