The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-07-30
ON THE COIN COLORADO
The Reporter Editor and Family are
Enjoying Their Vacation in
Colorado.
On THE MOVE IN COLORADO, July, 1908.


at strenuous pace and by the time we
return home and settle down to hard
work again we will have seen consider
able of one of the most wonderful and
productive states in the union. After
our delightful trip over the famous
Moffat road we accepted an invitation
from the Denver Press club to make the
trip on special train to Cripple Creek
and left Denver Sunday morning over
Colorado Southern for Colorado Springs
where special train in charge of Super
intendent Matthews, of the widely
known "Short Line," was waiting to
take the newspaper men who attended
the Denver convention up to the great
mining. camps Of Cripple Creek, Victor,
Golden and several others. At the depot
we meet H. D. Harvey, a we'll known
senger agent for several OF the Colorado
lines including the "Short Line.'
On the various trips which we have
travelled through some strange and
beautiful countries, but never before
had we viewed such scenery as that be-
tween Colorado Springs and Cripple
Creek. There were nearly two hundred
persons on the special train consisting
of four cars which were pulled up the
steep grades by two powerful engines.
Almost as soon as the train left the
depot we commenced the ascent of the
mountain and the tortuous winding
around the steep mountain sides gradu-
ally getting higher and higher for while
the distance from Colorado Springs to
Cripple Creek is only 18 miles the route
which the train takes traverses 81 miles
and we climb up until at Cameron juno
tion we are 10,040 feet above the sea
level. Words cannot describe the
grandeur of the scenery along this
route. 1t is said that when the road
was built it was built for spite but all
who have travelled over it have good
cause to rejoice over it's building and it
is no longer looked upon as spite road
but as the scenic railroad of America.
The train crawls along the side of the
mountain and at times in looking from
the car window one can look straight
down for nearly a mile to the bottom of
the canon. The trip must be taken to
to be fully appreciated and without a
guide book one cannot remember the
names of the peaks, great rocks and
fantastic shapes of the towering granite
through which we pass. AS an instance
of how the track runs it is only neces-
sary to say that at one time we travel
more than three and half miles and
come back to the starting place only
1900 feet higher up the side of the
mountain.
We reached Cripple Creek Sunday
afternoon about 1:30 o'clock and were
royalty entertained by the members of
tho Cripple Creek Press club and citi-
zens, first being taken to the Imperial
Hotel where sumptuous banquet was
served and then special street cars took
our party over the high line and then
the low line up and down, round and
round, and we were at the highest in
corporated town in the world, Golden.
The battle field of Bull Hill where the
miners fought the state troops few
years ago and the scenes of rioting
including the depot at Independence
which was blown up by dynamite and
several persons killed were visited and
then came novel experience, the en-
tire party being taken down the great
Joe Dandy gold mine. Just as the mine
was reached terrific rain and hail storm
came up and the way the forked light
ming cavorted around was caution.
The big electric power company's plant
which furnishes power and lights for
all the big mines, was put out of bust
ness, but the Joe Dandy had steam
power in reserve to work their cages
which run up and down the shaft and
each visitor was supplied with big
candle and then in parties of eight we
were dropped down into the bowels
Of the earth $50 feet from the top of the
shaft and then we're taken back in the
tunnels or drives for half mile and
saw the miners taking out the real
thing, gold bearing ore, but which
looked to us like plain rock, but it was
worth from $40 to $3.50 per ton. 1t was
an interesting trip but we will admit
we felt safer when we reached the top
of the shaft and could again see the
sky or rather the clouds above us. A
few years ago the unions we're in COM
plete control at all the mines, but their
demands On the mine owners became Sc
burdensome that finally the owners got
together and decided that the limit had
been reached and after bitter strug.
gle the mines were filled with non-unior
miners and now no union miner car
secure employment at any of the mines
in the Cripple Creek district.
For miles and miles in all directions
the hills are honeycombed with pros
pect holes, the most of them having
been abandoned while others are still
being pushed downward in the hope ot
striking rich vein of ore. While the
mines have taken out many millions O.
gold we believe the money spent il
prospecting and sinking shafts is many
times greater than all the gold that has
been mined. We would not want tt
live in Cripple Creek for it is barrer
place, there being but one green lawr
in the city and no shade trees at all
We don't blame Clarence Kohler fo
leaving the place and going to Butte
Montana, and if you want vivid des
cription of the place just call arount
and interview Uncle Bob Bowsher. H,
can describe it in more lurid language
than we dare print in The Reporter.
The miners work eight hours a day
the mines running three shifts of mel
each twenty-four hours, and Sunda,
they work just the same as any othe
day. Common labor in the mines re
{ ceive $1.25 per day and skilled labo
S4 90 a day. but living ia hiph and tn,