, 1899-09-28

and living purposes, is in presses
of construction. The old shaft
house, where so much rich ore was
taken out, has been abandoned,
and stands, with it's cluster of less
pretentious and sustaining build
ings, out by itself. From the hill
side, in every direction one looks,
whether across to the other noun
taiDside, or down in the gorge be-
low, one sees the white CLEAN of
tents and the smoke from some
miners cabin, hid away in the tim
Der, and everywhere stakes and
ten foot holes, denoting that the
interchangeable prospector is abroad
in the land and that to some pur-
pose, for there are many very
promising prospects-mines, we
might say-near this wonderful
copper mine.
The Judge, who has a mind for
adventure, expressed a wish to go
down the shaft. He was provided
with a lighted candle, told to step
onto tho edge of the ore bucket,
which swung over the dark chasm
called the shaft, and his guide took
a like position on the opposite side
and, clinging to the cable and
swaying to and fro, down they
went into the blackness of the
night which seemed to swallow
them up. The new shaft is down
$50 feet and the cross cut into the
vein opened up a lead over % feet
in thickness. Along this vein of
ore they have drifted over 60 feet.
and the day we were there they
had just come into a body of high
grade ore that would assay 90 per-
cent copper, The Judge came up
with a pocket full of samples, very
much pleased with what he saw.
Being something of a mlnerologist
he was at home among the rocks
he found and proved to be a most
interesting companion.
1t was toward sun down when
we left the Rudefeha mine.
The whistle had blown and the
men were gathering from every
direction for the evening meal.
when we started to climb back to
the summit on our way to the
town of Battle, some seven or
eight miles away. When we
reached the summit the sun had
set and the full moon rose, grand
and majestic through the thin,
and scraggling growth of pine
that sparsley covered the divide.
1t was a lovely night and the road
perfect. As we drove along, look
ing first down the slope toward
the Pacific and then again down
the incline toward the Atlantic,
we enjoyed the novelty of the sit
uation to the full. On the east
tern slope, just over the divide,
hang great snowdrifts, from a
quarter to a mile in length
and from 25 to 70 feet in depth.
These banks are perpetual snow,
and are the ones that the inhabi-
tants of this valley see even in
the quivering heat of July and
August, when they glance in the
direction of the main range of the
Rocky Mountains. Beautiful lakes
the gleem of whose waters came
to us in the bright moonlight,
nestled in the trees a few hundred
feet below us, and added to the
%bewitching beauty of the enchant-
ing scenery. On IN the hazy
distance we could see Battle
mountain, Hahns Peak, and other
prominent points. 1t was a ride
that will not soon be forgotten
by the members of that party.
We reached the town of Battle
at s o'clock in the evening. We
could see the lights of the city,
cleaning through the thick tim
Der, long befor we came to it. We
had to halt at the edge of the town
and go for a pilot to guide us in.
We found our way to the only
hotel in town, a frame building,
and secured permission to make
our bed down in the dining room.
Beds they had none,-not one