The Elk Mountain pilot., 1899-07-11
NEWS FROM THE
WESTERN REGION.

but that on the buik would class 1t also
as high grade. The fifty-seven tons
gave returns of 1897 ounces to the ton.
This is the mineral taken from the up
per levels of the property and included
none of that taken from the new find.
The Colorado Midland does not pro-
pose to use the overhead" line at Ha-
german pass, even for the tourist
travel of the season. All of its trains
are now using the Busk tunnel. which
runs under the pass, and which recent
ly was secured by the Midland from
the Dutch owners. The line crossing
the peak will not be kept in repair and
Will gradually be torn up. it is said.
as its abandonment is complete There
was some talk of using the line in the
summer months for the benefit of tour
lists, but the conclusion WAS reached
that the travel will not Justify the ex-
pense of keeping the line open.
There is no change in the situation of
the Baldwin coal miners strike. Pres
ident Van Mater of the Alpine Coal
Company was there Sunday and went
up to the Baldwin to confer with the
men. He made them n proposition of
paying the old scale of wages-65 cents
per ton for foriled coal-for the next
two months, until he could get new coal
contracts, Offering to replace the forks
which they had destroyed two weeks
ago without charge. The union held Il
consultation and declined the offer. re-
fusing to mine any forked coal. They
offered to mine shovel coal for IS
cents. The president declined, and
thus the matter stands. Both sides are
firm and there seems to be no chance
of settlement. The miners are in poor
circumstances, as they have worked
scarcely any since January 1st. Mum
bers of them are leaving and only
about fifty. remain in the camp.
The grading of the new Burlington
railroad from Alliance, Nebraska, to
Hartville, Wyoming. is being pushed
rapidly. Between Alliance and Camp
Clark, on the North Platte river, men
and teams are as thick and busy as
flies. Some heavy work Is necessary
on this portion of the line, especially
just this side of Camp Clark, where
fills of seventy feet deep will have to
be made. From Camp Clark up the
river through Scott's Bluff country, the
grading is practically completed to the
Wyoming line, distance OF sixty
miles. From the Wyoming state line
TO Hartville the crosssectioning has
been completed and the grading work
a ~
lance to Hartville will be in running
operation by the LIST of September-
some say the Goth of August. 1t is un-
derstood here that grading will begin
on the line to Brush, Colorado. via Sid
ney, Nebraska, and Sterling. Colorado,
by the 1st of August. from both ends
OF the line, and that the LIST of Novem-
ber will see the Burlington & Missouri
trains of the new line entering Denver.
The garding of the Brush line would
be now in progress had it not been for
the sudden necessity confronting the
Burlington & Missouri of heading of
the Union Pacific from Hershey by an
Immediate building Of the Hartville
branch.
Ten persons We're injured, none of
them fatally, at 6:13 O'Clock Tuesday
morning by a wreck ON the Colorado
Midland of n Denver & Rio Grande
train at Busk. eight miles west of
Leadville. The most seriously injured
is j. G. Brennan. the conductor, three
of whose ribs were broken. A mud
slide in the canon of the Grand river
on the Denver * Rio Grande has com
PEELED that road to use the tracks of
the Colorado Midland from New Castle
into Leadville. The wrecked train was
lht hlsl st'tiol VI lDt
No. ., bound for Denver. 1t had Just
come out of the Busk tunnel. On n
curve at the head of n steep hill. beside
n steep embankment 200 yards from
the tunnels mouth. the train left the
track. 1t was going not more than
twelve miles an hour at the time and
this probably prevented n more serious
wreck. None of the couplings that link
ed the ditched cars TO those on the
track parted. This prevented the cars
from rolling down the embankment
1t is presumed that n broken rail was
the cause, although of this the officials
of neither the Midland nor the Rio
Grande are certain. The engine re-
mained on the track. but the mail.
baggage, smoker and one chair car
went into the ditch, while the trucks of
n second chair car and of one sleeper
were wrenched loose. The other sleep
ers were not damaged.
The weekly crop bulletin OF the
Weather Bureau contains the follow
ing information: 1.-The mean tempera-
ture has been above normal north of
the Arkansas Platte divide, with the
greatest excess, degrees n day, in the
vicinity of Denver. In other parts of
the state practically normal tempern-
ture conditions have prevailed. Maxi
mum temperatures ranging between S5
degrees and 9S degrees We're general
on the last three days of June; the
closing days of the week, however,
We're cool. Since the majority of the
reports were mailed light showers have
fallen east of the mountains, in San
Luis park and the central and south
western parts of the state. Fine grow
ing weather has prpyailpd on the west
ern slope, and n material advancement
in crops is reported. The first crop of
alfalfa is being secured in fine cond-
tion, but the yield is somewhat dis
appointing. Sugar beets are being ex-
tensively cultivated, and the results
already attained demonstrate the
adaptability of the soil and climate to
this crop. Ranges continue fair, and
rain would be heneficial in mnst SOC