The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-03-07
= .-,sg's x J .Hs.ss!:J5y st!,y %. T
CRIPPLE CREEK.
Characteristic 0oonoo Nn4 ance-
dents of the New Town.
Dustaang T1mee - ~ OeaosaAo x1Assooo
--lGneA Asttsisy N 1saA 1ssa>s
aaA An KinAs o1

Cripple Greek - mo0e up 0mOot GU
tirely Of small frame buildings occu-
pied by saloons and gambling houses.
Nerchandising = overdo0e, Ishould ]
say. law one grocery ,stsre where
l2 clerlka were at work. Groceries, dry
goods, clothing, etc, are cold very rea-
sonably, but beer u sold at two glasses
for . quarter; whisky. the same price.
A gambler Il a. good AZ anybody In
Cripple Greek and q saloon keeper bet
ter. Tho town, however, 10 not
"tough-" You do not see men in the
streets carrying pistols. but the gam
bling games, are wide open. Cripple
Creek L in the same county (El Paso)
with Colorado Springs. where no liquor
can be sold. COLORADO Springs, how
ever, has Ave stock exchanges. two OF
which are kept open day and night.
like restaurant. These exchanges
are always crowded, and the Colorado
Springs people, although SO good about
liquor, have no heaitancy in robbing
the unwary by selling them worthless
stocks.
Cripple Creek has electric light, gas
and waterworks. The water comes
from an artificial lake on Pixies Peak,
which Is only Is miles away. At night
the town reminds you of the Midway
at the worlds fair. The main street is
five blocks long. There are three other
business streets Of about equal length.
A corner lot ON this best street, 15xl2O
feet, sold lately for $4,000. A real es-
tate boom has been added to The mining
boom and the result is pandemonium.
It 10 said that at this season there
are from 30 to 40 deaths daily at Cripple
Greek from pneumonia. largely due to
exposure. Visitors are unable to find
proper accommodations, aud, if man
who is not acclimated takes pneumonia
from exposure, he is pretty apt to die.
Hundreds Of men keep bachelors hail.
in cold rooms, and live on improperly
cooked food. As the altitude is very
high . great many of the tenderfeet
die.
While 1 was in town heard q man
offer $3.50 month for desk room in
the office of the Palace hotel. the only
brick building in Cripple Creek. The
offer was Indignantly refused. Lots
that were worth $500 three months
ego are now being held for $4,000. a
fool il born every minute.
From three to five hours are required
to get chance to inquire at the post
Office for mail; from 200 to 300 men
are in line constantly at the post Office,
and the post Office is full Of mail that
has never been distributed. Everybody
is crazy about everything. This Is the
rule at Cripple Greek.
There are over thousand incorpo-
rated mining companies in Cripple
Greek, and of this number less than
is yield q return on the investment:
perhaps you know that gold mines ore
not producers, but actual consumers
+ of the worlds wealth. In other words,
moro money Il spent in gold mining
than is obtained from it; every dollar
In gold dug out the ground costs good
many dollars. 1t is said that about GO
Cripple Greek mines ship ore, but only
IS pay dividends; into the other 925
mines money Is being poured like wa
ter. Over 4 thousand companies have
been incorporated, but only Is pay
|xdividends; there are q thousand Of other
.'clainas'' which are probably worth
1eaa. I heard it estimated that there
are 5000 men in the district earning
wages, certainly $500 Of them receive
their pay not from what il produced
in Cripple Creek, but from fools who
send money thcre.-Thomas Barton,
In Atchinon OlobA