Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1912-06-21
EDITORS OUTING
TO SEE LOST RIVER

ness, are a good many items Ol
such utility gathered by the men,
bers Of the s. E. Idaho Press Clul
on their first outing this yeaI
which was held at Mackay. Mackal
Is a far-off town up in theSaw-
tooth mountains, a little less than
400 miles north east of BlackfOot
The more or less famous dam OF
the Lost River, about which there
was many a snarl in the last State
election. i located there, and so
Is the Empire copper mine. Just
outside the town the river, which
is a considerable stream, pOurs a
volume Of water of sufficient
depth to swim a horse and one
fourth the width of the Snake
River. Then the river disappears
into subteranean channel that
gives it its appropriate name.
1t was not in the fancy Of an idle
dreamer that the daming of the
river had its origin. The promOt-
ers sought to water the vast acre
age that lies below the dam, one
of the fairest and most promising
in all Idaho, stretching out from
the mouth of the canyon. A COM
plete system of bitches and canals
was built and the dam was. we'll
under way TO supply the water
when the work Of construction
was suddenly stopped. Land below
it that had been taken up under
the Carey Act entries proved
worthless. Engineers employed on
the enterprise and for the State
made conflicting reports as to
the stability of the dam. The re-
cent sad memory of the Johnstown
flood put the fear Of some such
disaster in the minds of the towns
people, at least in the minds of
some of them, and the money sup
piled for the work was suddenly
cut off after nearly a million dol
lars had poured in. The earthen
dam with its concrete core now
stretches about half way across
the canyon, standing a hundred
feet high in the completed pOr-
ton. Somebody told the newspaper
men that it served more as a mon
ument to the work of agitators /
than as a mark to incompetent |
engineering in its construction.
The newspaper visitors saw
big copper mine for the first time
in the lives of most of them. 1t I
Was The Empire mine. 1t is now
worked on the leasing plan. The
owners operate the railroad only,
1ut the work of development goes
steadily on as the lessees contin-
Ie their contracts. They must
ind their own ore in their own
openings bored from the main
unnel. The editors themselves did |
nine exporting at the Empire and
earned many things of the liberal
,olicy of the management OF this
arge enterprise. They enjoyed
m exhilerating ride on ore traip
II seven or eight miles, during
which there was climb OF oyer
vo thousand feet by the engine.
Lney also took dinner in the min
ng camp. and II was a mighty fine
Inner, too.
In the town of Mackay the edit
,rs were received with marked
iordiality and hospitality, the fes-
ivities arranged for them includ-
NO a wholesome and bountlful
sunday dinner served by the Wo-
mans Club of the place, when Mr..
Ambrose, of Higgins & Ambrose,
he leading lawyers of the town.
made the address of welcome for
he whole population. Ambrose
never once talked shop himself
nut when the editors afterward
Tisited his place of business they
ound a library there of over three
bousand volumes, perhaps one OF
he finest private collections OF
egal tones in all the Inter-Moun-
ain country, and an office equip
nent not excelled in the whole
State of Idaho. Mackay may be a
i,tis short on water for irrigahng
but it is certainly Ions
IN law.
The Messrs. Dillingham; Brothers
publish the only newspaper In the
own and fill the bill so well IN
hat line that there never will be
need for another paper as long
IS they live and have their being
here.
Senator McBeth lives IN Mack
" ard fills a largo place in the :