Durango semi-weekly herald., 1906-12-03
NEVADA
NEW CAMPS
Ogden. Utah, Nov. "a, 1906.

Just before leaving Denver wrot
you short account OF my proposed
trip 10 Ely, New, and, thinking som,
of your patrons might be sufficient!
interested to know what founC
there, | Oil endeavor to give you {
brief account of my trip out and wha
/ realized to be the condition of af
fairs upon arriving there.
| was unable to get out of Denver
on the evening proposed on account
OF inability to secure a Pullman berth
So great was the travel that every
berth on both roads running to Ogden
was taken. | left on the following
of sixteen cars. Upon reaching Colo
RADIO Springs | was Joined by Judge
John Knowles of Cripple Creek, who
shared with my Pullman to Pueblo
From him | learned that there had
been 119 tickets sold in Cripple Creek
and Victor the day before for Ely. A
walk through the front end of our
train short time afterwards was con-
elusive evidence that an exodus had
taken place and our once popular min
ing camp was rapidly becoming depop-
ulated.
Upon leaving Ogden we were suon
carried to the East approach of the
bridge which spans Salt Lake. The
water had receded for two or three
miles upon the east end, as we passed
over, we realized that it had for forty
TO fifty miles upon the west end.
is now a barren, sandy waste for
miles and miles as far as the eye
coulvs see. This is due to the con-
stant evaporation and from the fact
that the fresh water supply that once
Yan into the lake is now diverted for
irrigation purposes.
My trip across the Great Lake upon
the train was romantic and enchant-
ing. for It seemed to me that | never
saw the sun when it shone with half
the brilliancy and luster it did upon
that balmy afternoon And ] was at
once transported back to the scenes
of my ocean trip from New York to
Galveston without the horrors of Hat
tssas.
feaving Ogden late, we arrived at
Cobre, where we were to change cars
for Ely seven hours late Abont fifty
passengers were dumped off on the
prairie with nothing in sight, save a
small boarding house and large tent
TO become our habitation until noon
of the next day, with the thermometer
10 below zero. 1t was indeed exasper-
ating as well as discomforting
We succeeded in getting the ladies'
stored away in the house and about
forty of us were assigned to rooms in
the tent. The rooms were partitioned
off with canvas which ran half way
to the ceiling. A large wood stove
adorned the rotunda and lot of old
lamps and a few candlesticks were
on table. 1t looked primitive but
there was no mistaking the fact that
we were there and up against it,
Mr.. C. E. Mcconnell of your town
and. occupied one room and bed, and
to make our punishment as light as
possible we sat up until ~ O'Clock in
the dining-room to shorten the hours.
Mr.. Arthur Fairbanks of Montrose,
was one of our party and seemed to
enjoy the novelty of true frontier life
as well as could be expected under
the circumstances. During the rush
of the supper | informed the widow
landlady of my former vocation and
rendered my service TO act as her
clerk in punching the tickets of her
regular boarders. Mr.. Fairbanks was
equally as generous in rendering his
to act in the capacity of general util-
ity man. While Charlie Mcconnell
was delegated to entertain the dis
tinguished guests from Michigan then
sitting around the stove awaiting the
relays of the tables; but his too ar
dent attention to a certain little
blonde soon aroused our jealousies
and the organization was busted up
p. ID. @.
The main track of the Southern
Pacific Road passed within few feet
of our tent, and the number of trains
that passed during the few hours we
were in bed was a fright counted
fifteen.
You have read of the ships that
pass in the night" They were not in
1t in comparison to some of those
trains that passed our couch in the
cold, chilly hours of the early dawn
We could hear the roar of the train
the putting of the engine as II ap
preached us in the distance, and as
1t dashed past in its wild, mad flight
the earth trembled beneath us, oul
hnt shook and swayed as though Il
were an aspen leaf waited by the gen
tie autumn breeze. 1t was an aw,
inspiring, thrilling experience and on,
long TO be remembered.
Upon arriving at Ely found tn,
townsite to be one similar to that o
Silverton. Surrounded on all sidei
by high ranges OF mountains with on,
narrow inlet. and about one.fourth al
large. There are three streets run
ming the long way, seven blocks II
1nnCth thnrn hay