The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-23
AT THE HOTELS.


Two prominent citizens Of Colorado,
fellow-townsmen and friends Of many
years. Bessrs p. r. Ritter and John =.
Harper both Of Durango. sat 30 the New
Willard lobby last evening and laughed
over "reminiscences Of their early days in
the West.
DO you remember the time that you
tried TO hire that Ute Indian 20 lift my
scalp?' was the startling query put by
Mr. Harper. Ritter. most amiable gem
tleman and as innocent Of bloodthirstiness
as a babe. laughed heartily AT his friends
question
Yes, ] remember the time ] did IL
as an experiment in. human nature /
offered the old Ute 30 cents for the JOB
in as serious a way as I could muster
but you ILL remember that he stood out
for dollar He said it was worth
dollar any time to Kill a man. and as
would not raise my bid the transaction
fell through
This led 10 general discussion Of the
Indian character. Mr. Harper has had
/ long experience in dealing with the noble
red men. and Of late has spent much
time among the Zunis Of New Mexico.
for whom be is constructing storage
reservoir under the auspices Of the Fed
eral government.
The Old Fenimore Cooper notion Of
the Indian, said Mr.. Harper. 'Is no
longer credited. The red man " romance
was myth. IH the books Of our boy
hood We regarded him as brave and noble.
and above all full OF gratitude 10 any
benefactor- Now If there IS any trait an
Indian does not possess 10 is gratitude.
People who do him kindness he despiseg.
deeming them q littIe Dir deficient mem
tally. The man who aWes him into obe-
dience, and who be- thinks wiu Kill him III
he does not obey, is the only sort OF being
whom he really reveres.
Mr.. J. g. Miner United States consul
at Calais. France. is at the Dewey. He
has occupied that position fer the EAST
ten years. and is accounted one of the
best men in the service. Mr Miners
former home was in Indiana.
In all the leading hotels Of Washington
/ last evening. especially the uptown hos
telries. the Hobbies were crowded with
people who were waiting u see if they
could get rooms. il IS no exagCeration 10
say that transient visitors to the city
Htere turned away by the hundreds. owing
10 the inability OF the hotels 10 care for
such an unexpected influx Of guests They
came from almost every quarter of the
I land. New York furnishing the largest
quota, and most came purely on a ho.l-
/ day trip 10 spend the weeks end az tire
/ Capital
Mr.. c. c. Van Alstyne. prominent
young New York banker. is al the New
Willard. having come to Washington 10
consult with a number OF District capt.
taIists who are interested with hmm tn a
railroad project for handling the ores of
the Alta mining camp. in Utah, and espe-
cially with regard 10 "A device that prom
ises 10 solve mechanical problems and f9
save human lives
Alta" said Mr. Van Alstyue. in q story
telling session with friends last evening.
lis an old lead-silyer camp twenty miles
east of Salt Lake City. and with rather
I a remarkable record. Death-deaiiag snow
slides and the low price of silver PUT the
( locality out of business fifteen years ago.
+ To-day u is again ON the boom. and the
mission ~ its owners is 20 rebuild am
abandoned right of way which has been
/ leased from the Rio Grande system.
II is located "a the head 1T q canyon,
and is walled I'm by peaks of TIE Waslt-l
range. az an altitude of 1000 feet TO
mining men the region is known as
"SnOw-Slide country and IT'S record iu
this respect is black. a decade ago slides
wiped ont the entire village burying hun
dreds of people and thousands OF dollars
worth OF property under tons Of snow and
debris
Almost every season witnesses % trlE-
edy on the steep ice-c0vcred hiusides.
Last year six teamstcrs were caught in
one grinding mass of snow and Zee. and
days passed before their bodies were re-
covered. The year before "a January thaw
brought an avalanche down upon a little
cabin containing two proSFectorS. One,
oddly enough. was burned 20 death by
being thrown against the heating stove
and piniOued there while the other re-
gained consciousness 90 find himself safe
astride the ridgepole Of the demolished
house.
since then fve-mile aerial tram has
been built by the c0mrTuy-ihe longest
single span tram In the world. 10y the way
and it's towers are located To- obviate
I these slides. DcrTicks silky feet high are
often buried 10 tine top in snow. but the
buckets ride safely and successfully
through "a groove or track of their own
[
De increased in length % eight and one
half miles. and from the lower terminal
/ 10 the smelters the rejUvenated railroad
viii do the rest.
+ The fne-looking old gentleman with
rudy complexion. sparkling blue eyes. and
snow-white hair who sat I'm the Raleigh
/ lobby last evening was Cen. Isaac Sher-
wood. Congressmau-elect from the Toledo
fOhiol district and to him belongs the
distinction Of having done "a feat that has
never had a parallel in the history of
American politics. This unique trick was
4 the coming back 10 Congress after an alb
sencc from that body Of thirty-two years.
trick engineered by the general himself.
for jt is due largely To his own energy
and clcverness that he was elected 10 the
House last November as a Democrat i'm
district that two years previously had
returned "a Republican by over 1890 MAE
jority.
Il won 10y only handful Of votes-iust
forty-two. said Gen. Sherwood. but il
was enough and kept up my record OF
always being elected when I ran for office
by the narrowest margin. ] was first
elected to Congress I'm ISL the same time
that Speaker Cannon came in. and as I
shook hands with Uncle Joe yesterday I
said To him. Mr.. Speaker, you and I en-
tered the House together. and the only
difference between us is that won have