The silver lance., 1899-07-28
WESTERN NOTES.


Cheyenne Frontier Day committee this
year to reproduce one of the early
public weddings. A voting contest Is
now Eoink on for bridesmaids, and II
Is expected to have sixty of the hand
soonest young ladies' in Wyoming and
Colorado selected. The wedding will
be followed by grand old time ball,
to which all are cordially invited. The
grounds will be brilliantly lighted and
the bridesmaids and attendants, with
friends from all parts of the country,
will present one of the gayest old
time wedding balls seen for many
years.
General Land Commissioner Her
mann has instructed w. T. s. May,
forestry superintendent at Denver, to
permit sheep grazing in open spaces
on the Uintah forest reserve conces-
sion. This action was due to the united
efforts of the sheep grazers, who have
long been after the general land com
missioner for this privilege. The open
ing of the Uintah reservation is in the
nature of an experiment, and If il
proves successful. all forest reserves
will next year be thrown open. The re-
serve will remain open two months
each year, and sheep grazing will be
The mines of the Diamond Coal and
Coke Company at Diamondville, Wyo-
ming, have been idle for three days.
The drivers of the company struck,
resulting in over 600 men being
thrown out of employment The cause
of the strike is said to be the action
of the company in discharging a dri-
yer in the mine who carelessly allowed
valuable horse to be injured so that
1t had to be shot. The Miners Union
held a meeting and asked for an in
,yestigation, which was granted by the
company. 1t is generally conceded
that the matter of wages is not in
volved and that the miners will all
return to work soon.
The town Of Vulcan suffered heavy
financial loss by fire shortly after mid
night Friday, but sadder still is the loss
of two young boys, the two eldest sons
of Mr.. and Mrs. Peter Dolan. The fire
started in the upper story of the hotel
building kept by Mr.. Dolan, and evi-
IDENTIFY in the room occupied by his
boys, aged 10 and ~ years. Mr.. Dolan
and his wife, with two younger chill
dren, slept on the lower floor, and
managed to get out without serious in
juries. Mr.. Dolan procured a ladder
and attempted to reach the upper story
to save his boys, and in so doing he
was SO badly burned that his life is
now despaired of.
War has been declared by the terri.
tory Of New Mexico on the Continental
Oil Company. which is identical with
the Standard OIL Company. The last
Legislature passed law establishing
commercial commission and also n
law providing for the inspection of coal
oil and certain fee to be paid for the
inspection. The company has thus far
openly deffed the law and to-day the
commercial commission instructed So.
lfcitor General f. l.. Bartlett to pro.
ceed against the company. Hon. Neill
B. Field of Albuquerque is attorney
for the oil company, and both are
anxious to push the suit so as to get
the United States court to pass upon
the cOnstitutionality of the law. A jury
will be waived before the District
Court and the case will be brought
before the territorial Supreme Court
in August and before the United
States Supreme Court in October. The
feeling against the oil company in the
territory is very bitter as the retail
price of 30 cents gallon charged for
coal oil is deemed much too high, and
bitter fight will be made by the terri
tOriaI authorities against the mon.
opoly with a view of breaking it.
The Union Pacific fossil fields expe
dition, numbering nearly 1870 men
passed through Omaha few days
ago and at Laramie took wagons
for the wonderland of Wyoming Sci
entists of this country are manifestinp
extraordinary interest in this undertak
ing. Many will join the party in the
field between now and August 1st
The trip will probably consume forty
days. The main direction will be
northwest and the itinerary will be ter
minated at the Grand canon of the
Platte. On the homeward journey q
new route will be selected and the
trip will consequently be as varied as
it can possibly be made. 1t is purely
for the benefit of biologists. This ex
pedition has been arranged by the
Union Pacific officials because of the
interest which has been created by the
recent discoveries of reptilian fossils
of enormous size as well as other re-
markable curiosities. Huge mammals
of elephantine dimensions are mingled
with numerous orders of large animals
that have long been extinct Among
them are camels, rhinoceroses, dogs
cats, elephants and monkeys, great sea
monsters, fishes of innumerable de-
scription and fossil leaves that prove
conclusively that in early ages Wyo
ming was the home of great forests OF
tropical and semi-tropical trees.
The smaller Heron site for the new
public building at Leadville has been
recommended by Special Agent Nc.
Dowell. The entire site is offered fol
$23, 600, embracing property at the
corner of Harrison avenue and Eighth
street, 1O5x153 feet. The smaller por.
ton is offered the government for $12
600. The latter proposition is recon-
mended by Mr.. Mcdowell. This will
give room for building 6Ox1OO feet
with streets on two sides and forty
feet space on the other side. The last
Congress appropriated $4,000 for a
building in Leadville, but it is doubt
full whether a building of the size
H. II