Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-28
TAFT DESCENDS
SHAFT OF DEEP
MINE AT BUTTE
TAFT DESCENDS 1900 FEET
INTO EARTH
DONS SLOUGH HAT AND OLD
LINEN DUsTER
Chief Executive Has Interesting Day
at Famous Copper Diggings.
Arrives at Helena
for Fair
[Ry .Assoelated Press.l

III 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 mid
night blackness into the depths of the
famous Old Leonard copper mine at
Butte, today, and had the rare experi-
ence of seeing miners at work with a
giant drill in a vein of high grade ore,
that sparkled green with its wealth Of
mineral.
When he had ascended with whz,
after half an hour underground the
president, blinking in the glare of the
MONDAY sun, was cheered to the echo
by the crowd of curious people gath
cred at the hoist and declared enthus-
iastically:
Il wouldn't have missed it for the
world"
It was the presidents first visit to
the Montana copper district and be-
tween the smelters at Anaconda and
the mines at Butte he had series of
interesting experiences.
Not the least of these was thrilling
automobile ride over the mountains
from Butte to the mouth of the Leon
ard mine. The grades were steep and
winding, but the chauffeurs assigned
to the presidents party were expert
enced men on the road, and while there
apparently was no threat of danger at
any stage of the trip, there was a sigh
of relief when Mr.. Taft had once more
been placed safely aboard the May
flower for the run to Helena.
Attends State Fair
Arriving here just before o'clock,
he went directly to the state fair
grounds, where, after viewing por-
tion of the exhibits he made an open
air address and witnessed race of
cowboys.
Returning to the city, Mr. Taft re-
viewed a parade of school children in
front of the postoffice. Leaving there
this evening the president headed di-
rectly for Spokane, where he is ex-
pected tomorrow to deliver his formal
speech on the subject of the conserva-
tion of the natural resources and the
reclamation of arid lands.
President Taft walked with decided
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
he started on his western trip, but the
president had suffered little inconveni-
ence from it until today, when his loot
was considerab bly, swollen.
There is nothing serious about the
sprain, and Mr.. Taft did not let it in
terfere in any way with his plans for
the day.
The president made a flying trip
through the Washoe smelter of the
Amalgamated Copper company at Ana
conda, then proceeded into the city,
and after a brief address took the train
for Butte The crowds which greeted
h ba CT the largest the
president has seen since leaving Chi
cago
Streets Are Thronged
From the railway station to the
courthouse square the streets were
fairly black with people. The police
had their hands full in opening a way
for the automobile procession, and
after the presidents car had passed the
crowd swarmed in it's wake.
Speaking at the courthouse. the pres
ident looked out upon a mass of hu-
manity 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 WON
derful impression the western coun-
try was making upon him, ana enaed
IT 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 Old Leonard
mine today with a hearty "good-hy,
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 record for the farthesc
under ground President Roosevelt en-
tered some of the Butte mines during
his term, but did not get down to the
1200-foot level
Postmaster General Hitchcock, who
ioined the president at Anaconda and
Secretary of the Interior Ballinger
were with the president in the pic
turesque trip down the dark chute,
and through the cross -cuts and drifts
of the deep level.
Presidents Descent
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 presi-
dent got into the topmost one, accom-
panied by Capt. Butt, John Bays liam
mond and others.
There was a 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 twenty
to thirty trips a day down the shatt at
q speed which relegatsd the presiden-
tial drop to a snairs pace in compar-
ison, the descent through the first 800
feet of inky darkness had its nerve
shaking possibilities to the novices in
the party.
At the 12O0-foot level the two lower
cages dropped by the opening to allow
the president to step olt first.
The opening of the level had been
decorated with bunting and along tho
gallery ordinary incandescent bulbs
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