Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-09-26

osition now although 1t were a losing
on al that earlier time. There Isl
nntling ~coniectural about the well
graded and thoroughly constructed
burro pack trail which leads from the
mouth III Blue canyon along the side
OF Mineral Hill some two miles or
more to the extreme end of the
mountain. This trail built with such
care as to be yet after the lapse Of
more than twenty years in good re.
pair and passable throughout was de-
signed tp bring down the pack trains
loaded with precious ore to be dug
from the top Of the mountain-the
ore that never was found.
We made or way down the canyon.
failing and picking ourselves up, not
Ing the formations as disclosed on the
hillside. passing on The way the var.
ious claims mentioned as having been
recently filed upon and another
which is being worked by ]. Minimum
on lease, finally reaching the base Of
The Albatross mine Chat Is the name
Of the Baker-Bell property 10 which
We climbed by a steep, tough trail
almost straight up" Mr.. Bell re-
NAMED here while Blake and | contin-
ued over the crest of Mineral Hill
and down Its opposite side, sliding,
slipping, falling until at Its base In
the Tecolote canyon we anne upon
the third Of The Optic Group Of To-
cations near by which is the location
OF Fl. Z. Blake's sulphide claim. Stoop-
Ing to drink from the Tecolote creek
we were at once struck by the sui
phru taste of the water just like that
in coal mine sections of Illinois and
also similar to that Of the Hot Springs
waters. This fact and the further
one that fish cannot live In this
stream seem to me TO point very
concluslvely to the existence Of great
bodies Of mineral al the sources Of the
creek-mineral Of which sulphur In
some form is largely a constituent.
We now followed down the Teco.
Tote and soon met Charley with the
saddle horses which offered a CRATE
full relief to our tired legs which felt
as II about broken In two at the knees
after our long, rapid. down.hill trip
just concluded.
A short ride brought us TO the coal
groupings on the bank Of the creek,
on one side on the property Of II. P.l
Brown, on the other on government
land, we were told. This coal has
been known OF and was worked years
ago. Why It has no further atten-
tion is one OF the things that | cannot
nnd out. Here It lies on either bank
OF the stream fully exposed to view;
a vein thirty to thirty-six inches
thick and of unknown width and ex-
tent. II has been used many years by |
miners and sawmill men in the forge
and found TO be OF excellent quail
Ity. Once about six years ago Fish
err hauled wagon loads OF II to town
and found ready sale for II. II would
seem that Las Vegas people should
take hold or these prospects and de.
velopc them when cheap coal would
be one OF the greatest blessings the
town could have and n Of the
things that would help build II ZIP
quicker than most any other. There
are said TO be coal groupings also
at several places westward from
these in a canyon opening out from
the Blue and they have been filed
upon by the Trujillos and others
These too, should have an investiga
tion and development undertaken on
them II they are at all promising. Coal
Is the key TO prosperity for a town
like Las Vegas and | sincerely hope
that knowing where the coal Is our
wldeawale people will not rest until
they have brought II 10 u doors.
The guide and philosopher Of orr
expedition. Mr.. Blake was compelled
by the necessity OF getting TO town
before night TO part company with
lis here. Regretfully we saw him on
old Jim gliding down the T~ecolote
canyon while Charley and ! assembled
again % the camp on Mineral Inn
where we arrived just in lime for din.
ner. A meal % be remembered i
was. like those We had already par
taken Of beneath that h~ospitable cam
vas. But | was nearly shocked 10 sud
dcn death when Il was finished and
asked what was The amount TO pay for
all the entertainment they had pro-
yided us and was told that there was
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