The Elk Mountain pilot., 1908-12-31


Mrs. Mar, y Lawr rec and son l!ar-
~ were IN town ihis week clusirg ia, ir
Insurance basiness to Mrizer N LI'If.
1t is unw more than twenty 1--WE years
since V. T.. Axtcll est;biished the In
surance business in ,his town aud which
he faithfully repre- cstnted. and which the
family have conducted during this long
period. While the patrons are disap-
pointed at the change, they realize that
the removal OF the Lawrence family
from town has made the change necess-
ary. The best wishes OF ali go with the
retiring parties who are already located
in their new home in GunnIson and
where II. c. Lawrence is the successor
nf Henry Purrier and J.C. Jacklin in the
Coal, Hay. Grain and Oil business.
While not inclined 10 be pessimistic
We should hesitate in locating a ranch
or fruit orchard where the water supply
was entirely dependent upon the per
petuity OF tunnel bore penetrating e.
ruptive mountain for miles, and through
which the stresm supplying must run.
Under such conditions the smallest earth
movement would cause displacement or
faulting OF the mountain formation and
close up the tunnel und electually cut
oil the stream, without possible remedy
to the settlers on the land irrigated.
Supposing. that after thousand or
more settlers had located On the Uncom-
poghre plateau. below tho GunnIson
Tunnel and grown orchards. ana built
homes at the expense OF millions OF dol.
lars, something should happen. whereby
the the big ,unne. should become closed
Tor summer, or even a month, what
would be the enevitable result. Ruin
and dosolation could not be avoided
The orchards aud luxuriant fields Of hay
and grain, would soon become withered
and die for lack Of proper moisture in
are not infrequent within these Rocky
Mountain Ranges and not season pass
| es but the recurrence OF one or more i6
recorded. 1t wou d seem 10 US FAR more
preferable to select a home within some
valley through which flows a stream like
that OF our Gunnison river whose water
supply is as permanent as are the very
mountains them selves from which IL
| flows.
Butte. Montana. has been recently
visited by a series of earthquakes which
has done more or less damage to 1t and
surrounding towns. Some pf the shoe l;s
have been SO severe as TO cause great
alarm among the inhabitants Thirty
shocks have already been experienced
and 1t is feared the worst is yst To come
The light and power plants are out OF
C ommis-ion aud Butte and Virginia City
are in darkness. In the matter of -siab.
fishing water power plants aud also that
Of large irrigation projects the danger
from eicsmHtic or volcanic agencies
should Toe taken into serious cousid.rh.
tion. In mountain areas the element OF
future distur Dances will never be climi.
mated so long M the mountains stand.
Whole mountain systems and contineu-
tai ranges have been formed throug h
volcanic action and its work il still go
ing on. shaking. breaking. uplifting and
depressing the solid earth. Less than II
decade of wears back. th. southern por.
tion ~ our sister STATE. Utah. was held
IN Volcenic commissions that well neigh
shook tn. mountains loose from their
foundations. broke great issures. dried
lfLg Il
ain musses down the valleys. ard dealt
ruin and obstruction to that portion
Of the country.