The silver lance., 1899-06-02
GOSSIP FROM DENVER
AND THE STATE CAPITOL.

! gine without any butter in it at all for
"pure creamery butter"
A dispatch from Washington says:
The work of building the Denver mint
was to-day taken out of the hands of
Contractor Mcintyre and placed in
charge of government officials. Treas
| ury officials state that Mcintyre is be-
hind on the contract and shows no dis
| position to complete the work within
the time scheduled. They assert that
the Treasury Department has given
him several extensions of time but he
still refuses to hurry the work. An
| extension was given him last Decem-
ber because he said that the weather
| was too severe and that heavy snow
| prevented work. At that time he said
| that after May LIST he would have 400
cubic feet of granite on the ground
each day. Reports from Denver indi-
cate that not more than eighty cubic
| feet each day has been placed. Treas
| ury officials also state that Mcintyre
| has failed in all respects to keep up the
requirements of the contract The
| work will remain in the hands of the
government officials until it can be
awarded to some other contractor.
| Revenue from source heretofore
| unconsidered will soon begin to come
into the office of Secretary of State
Beckwith. Under the law the existence
of a corporation ceases after twenty
years, and unless it is renewed before
the expiration of that time the state
no longer recognizes it. The secretary
| has been looking over the indices of
| the corporations and finds that many
| of the larger ditch and irrigation com
| panies which filed with large capital
| stock are beginning TO run near the end
| of their legal existence. Before the last
| Legislature passed a different law, the
| companies could reincorporate by pay
ing for folio filing, which was about
| S1.50 in many cases. The law passed
| by the last Legislature demands
| the same fee as an original filing, and
| all companies desiring TO prolong their
legal existence must pay up before pa
pers are issued to them. Besides many
of the large ditch companies, some of
| the early day mining companies are
reaching their legal life's end, and must
| reincorporate.
| Colorado smelters are threatened
with a famine of lead ores, on account
| of the small output of the Coerr
| d'Alene district. 1t is a fact not gen
orally known that fully 75 per cent of
| the lead ore used in Colorado comes
| from that section A considerable guam
| tity is brought from the SLOGAN district,
British Columbia, but the lead produc-
| ton of Colorado is so light and uncer-
| tain in quantity that a shortage in the
production from either of the great
northern camps is likely to cause seri-
| Gus inconvenience to smelling interests
all over the country. The shortage in
the present supply is the direct result
of the drastic measures inaugurated by
General Merriam in refusing to permit
| the employment of men formerly con-
| nected with the union. None of the
mines in that district have yet succeed
ed in securing full complement of
men, and at the rate at which men are
now being employed it is feared that it
will be some time before the usual ship
ments of ore will be made. The present
supply of lead ores at the several smell
ters of this state is sufficient to last
several weeks yet, and the anxiety of
the managers is not on account of a
present shortage. but because of the
uncertainty of production for the i'm
mediate future. Steps have been taken
to secure all the ore possible from the
other lead producing districts, and
with the extra supply that may be thus
obtained, and care in the use of that
on hand it is believed the critical pc
riod may be tded over without a gen.
eral closing down of the smelters.
AS result of meeting held here
the other night. bill making the cliff
dwellings region in the southwestern
part of Colorado a national park will
in all probability be introduced at the
next convening of Congress. Congress
man John f. Shafroth. Judge George
7. Sumner. Booth Malone, Henry Van
Kleeck and DR.. Camden NJ. Cobern
constituted the meeting. Congress
man Shafroth went over the details of
passing such bill and the other gen
tlemen present, all of whom have
been ON the ground, recapitulated all
they personally gathered concerning
the interesting ruins below Durango.
Granting that the people living in the
agricultural country contiguous to the
cliff dwellings made no objections to
the setting aside of the land contain
ing these prehistoric buildings, and he
had received almost an assurance that
they would not Mr.. Shafroth saw no
impeachment in the way of passing the
bill. Maps and pictures of the ground
and ruins were carefully gone over and
studied. While the dimensions of the
area We're not specified. it is thought
that fifteen miles running northeast
and southwest by four or five miles
wide will include the most important
ground without infringing on any pre-
cious mineral or agricultural land. Mr.
Shafroth made copious notes to take
with him to Washington and will work
for the passage of the bill. He advises
that no appropriation be asked for in
the first measure. 1t will be sought to
make some provision for the care-tak-
ing of the ruins. Excavations must
be made scientifically and will be re-
stricted by license. Mr.. Shafroth will
try to enlist the interest of the Smith
sonian Institution. The matter will be
pushed with all possible speed. At the
present time two large exploring par
ties of 100 members each are being Or
ganized. one in San Francisco and one