The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-14
VISITS THE BOOM
WICHITA MAN WRITES BACK FROM
CRIPPLE CREEK.

Tells the Eagle Readers of the Sights Tia
are There to be Seen-Climate is Tn
doubtedly Bad, and it is Difficult
Thing to Become Acelimated-Rent
are Very High and Getting Higher, Blu
Real Estate is as Yet Very Sober-B,
Thinks it the Greatest Mining Camp OF
Earth-Bis Observations.
Cripple Greek, Colo, Feb. 12.-(Spec
ial Correspondence .)-Pursuant to &
promise 1 have set down some impress
sions of this place. Our party arrived
with the climate bids me first speak OF
| it. While the reports concerning tbs
number of deaths due to pneumonia
| are exaggerated this is certainly all hard
climate. The clothes that will keep a
man comfortable at night viii roast
| him in the daytime. The range of chang
Of temperature between day and night
is about go degrees-this in the direct
rays Of the sun as it is said always TO
! be cool in the shade. 1t is currently
reported that one can get acclimated
| here trust this is true. There are
more people here with colds and coughs
five to one-than 1 ever saw else
where and yet there be those who Will
| solemnly aver that they never saw a
sick day in Cripple Creek in two years.
| My observation is that here is a better
market for Quinine and Carter's Little
Liver Pills than any town in the coun-
try, not excepting the malarial district
along the lower MiSsiSSipDi
This is a mining camp and within
the limit Of the richest producing gold
mining district possibly in the world.
There are more mines shipping pay ore
than any other mining camp on record.
This condition of things brings here
people by the thousands-men Of all
business, of all professions, specula-
tors in both mines and real estate, pros
pectors, curiosity seekers, the gold hun
ter whose present poverty has not allay
ed his fever, the rum shop, the ga1nbl-
ing hell and the resort of 1.-The scarlet
woman" This makes the present need
of all sorts of business, office and lodg-
ing rooms enormous and rents are sirnp
ly astonishing. / had a business room
pointed out to me that rents for $500
per month. Single office rooms rent
for $50 to $50 per month, while a suite
Of rooms is a luxury that few can af-
ford. The price of real estate has by
no means kept pace with the rents. 1
know lot that the tenant pays 5000 a
month pround rent for five years, put
up his own building, which goes to the
landlord at the end of the term. 1t is
no uncommon thing for owners TO ask
rent that would pay for the property
in two years. House rents are in keep
Ing with other rents and none to be
had. They have the cheek to ask one
s25 or more for what they are pleased
TO term a three room house besides
which the average Wichita barn would
be entirely preferable. This is a board
ing house and lodging house town-the
residence is not in it. Every family
has Its modest little home" cannon
resist the temptation to reduce its ne
cessites to kitchen and dining room
that the spare" rooms NAV be rented
for 81 to $50 per day or 81 and I'D
wards per week. the usual price being
80 per week. Lodging may be had at
80 cents per night at the lodging houses
but the number of ones strange neigh
bors is the limit of the capacity of his
narrow enclosure.
Another feature IS the building now
going on. In every direction buildings
of temporary character are being
rapidly built-lodging and cheap bust
ness houses being the particular favor !
lite. They are seldom built with foun-
dations and more rarely plastered. A
line residence may be described as set (
on piles, boarded at the bottom, wealth /
erboarded without, planfed and paper /
ed within, partitions made of inch
planks and seldom painted. The lower .
floors are invariably cold-this added to
1tryn Oc
built partly accounts for the prevalence
Of colds in this Internal climate.
What IS the future Of this town and
Of the mining industry in this district?
shall make no attempt to particular
lie or prOphesy at this time General
y speaking the district is larger than
any on record; there are more produc-
ing mines than any on record. The
mining industry Is practically in its in
fancy. The deepest mines is about 600
feet, and may be pushed through pay
ore TO depth of 1000 to 5000 feet. The
work ahead to be done in mines where
Indications are good, in fact where pay
1re is in sight, will be the work OF
years. The district will be the home of
5000 people when the mines are fairly
II work. This includes the whole dis
riot and excludes "fioaters'' There
De those who place the limit of Cripple
Creek alone at the figure have named
The excitement will carry real estate
prices much higher than now-higher
han the circumstances justify, which
VII be followed by a stagnation and fall
n prices. But the topography Of the
country so circumscribes the desirable |
property that prices will never fall so
ow as Wichita prices have.
The transactions are almost wholly !
ash. which may be taken as an indi-
alton of the faith of both buyer and
eller.
BRI-CE KEENAN,