The San Francisco call., 1909-09-28
TAFT 'DESC[NDS
1900 FEET IN
FAMOUS MINE
Watches Men Working With
Giant Drill on Copper Vein
Far Beneath Surface
Leaves Montana for Spokane.
Where Address on COnser-
vation Will Be Made

vatiOn Will Be Made
I 1ELENA, Mont. Sept. 27.-Attired
in linen duster, an old black
slouch hat and swinging an
electric lantern at his side, President
Taft was locked in a narrow iron
cage and dropped 1900 feet through
midnight blackness into the depths
Of the famous Old Leonard copper
mine at Butte today and had the
rare experience of seeing miners at
work with giant drill in a vein
of high grade ore that sparkled
green with its wealth of mineral
When he had ascended with a whiz
after half an hour underground the
president, blinking in the glare of the
MONDAY sun, was cheered by the crowd
gathered at the hoist He declared en-
Enthusiastically:
Il wouldn't have missed it for the
world"
1t was the presidents first visit to
the Montana copper district and be-
tween the smelters at Anaconda and
the mines at Butte he had a series of
interesting experiences. Not the least
Of these was thrilling automobile ride
over the mountains from Butte to the
mouth of the Leonard mine The
grades were steep and winding, but the
chauffeurs assigned to the presidents s
party were experienced men, and while
there was apparently no threat of dam
ger at any stage of the trip, there was
a sigh of relief when Taft had once
more been. placed safely aboard the
Mayfiower for the run to Helena
Visit i'm Helena
Arriving here just before o'clock
he Went directly to the state fair
grounds. where, after viewing a portion
of the exhibits, he made an open air
address and witnessed race of cow
boys. Returning to the city Taft re-
viewed parade of school children in
front of the postof11ce Leaving here
this evening the president headed di-
rectly for Spokane, where he is ex-
pected tomorrow to deliver his formal
speech. the subject of which holds SUI
preme interest to all the west-the
conservation of the natural resources
and the reclamation of arid lands
President Taft walked with a de-
cided limp when he first got off the
train this morning at Anaconda, the
result of a sprained tendon in his right
foot. The sprain occurred at Beverly
before astarted on his western trip.
The president made a flying trip
through the Washoe smelter of the
Amalgamated Copper at Anaconda, then
proceeded into the city and after a
brief address took the train for Butte.
The crowds which greeted him on the
streets there were the largest the
president has seen since leaving Chi
cago. From the railway station to
the courthouse square the streets were
fairly black with people.
Addresses Great Crowd
The police had their hands full in
opening way for the automobile pro-
cession and after the presidents car
had passed the crowd swarmed in it's
president looked out upon mass of
humanity that blocked the square and
spread far down the converging streets.
He made a decided hit with the great
throng when he told of the wonderful
impression the western country was
y; and dod hy VII
Il am like the old Dutchman who
said: The more you live, the more
you find, by golly, out.
When the president disappeared down
the shaft of the Leonard mine today
with "a hearty ''Goodby, everybody
shouted to the waving group at the
entrance, he carried with him into the
depths of the earth two of his cabinet
officers and won the presidential rec
ord for the farthest underground
President Roosevelt entered some of
the Butte mines during his term, but
did not get down to the 1900 foot level
Postmaster General Hitchcock, who
joined the president today at Anaconda,
and Secretary of the Interior Ballinger
were with the president in the pic
turesque trip down the dark chute and
through the crosscuts and drifts of the
deep level.
Descent Into Mine
The elevator used by the president
and his party consisted of small steel
doored square cages in three decks.
The lowest of these was loaded first,
then the second and lastly the president
got into the topmost one, accompanied
by Captain Butt, John Hays Hammond
and others. There was sheer drop of
500 feet before the first level was
reached. The electric lights at this
gallery leading away from the shaft
were but blur. After this the levels
came at intervals of 100 feet Despite
the assurances of the mine officials
that they made from 20 to 80 trips a
day down the shaft at a speed which
relegated the presidential drop to
snail's pace in comparison. the descent
the first 500 feet of inky dark |
ness had it's nerve shaking possfbiliffe~ |