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About Harrison press-journal. (Harrison, Nebraska) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (May 15, 1902)
THUNDEB MOUNTAIN. THE NEW EL DORADO IN THE WILDS OF IDAHO. . Gold Found In Fabulous Amount Ovr a Wid Section A Ruth of Fortune Hunter to That Country That Will Soon Make 1t Populous. (Special correspondence of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat) All roada la Idabo lead to the gold flelda of Thunder Mountain this year, as they did a few years ago in Colorado to Cripple Creek. A rush that is almost unprecedented in the history of min ing In the Northwest, rivaling even that of theKlondike boom, is on, and thousands of . men are going helter skelter toward the gold goal, unmind ful of the dangers that lurk on every hand, totally disregarding the advice of friends and entirely oblivious to the fact that snowslldes on Thunder mountain trails have already claimed half a dozen victims. The conditions emphasize the statement that men will dare almost everything for wealth. If the crowd that is now surging into Thunder Mountain fields ig mad, the mental condition of those who, in the very midst of winter, braved the dangers and endured the hardships of mountain travel. Is somewhat difficult to describe. Snow storms, mountain lions, grizzlies nor yet grim starvation served to check the dauntless mountaineer in bis mad race for gold. Dozens of Incidents might be related of the terrors of the trail, among which is the experience of Chris Ouidlci, who, lost in the heart of the mountains, went on and on for three dayB and nights, without food or rest, until he tumbled into a deserted cabin, where he gnawed dry flour like an animal, and then, instead of turn ing back, going on to the camp, facing new dangers momentarily, witn flour his only food until he reached there. But today Guidici. who has always been a poor man, is on the highway to wealth, and the next trip he makes Into the gold flelds after the snow dis appears, could be in a gold-trimmed automobile if he cared for such luxury-Such experiences tell the story of the richness of Thunder mountain ful ly as vividly as does the exhibition of sacks of goldflecked ore, the nuggets and the dust, that are bisfught out and shown to the wondering gaze of those Inward bound. When what would be considered the limit of human endur ance has been exceeded in such a race, It may be set down as certain that the goal Is bright and -fellow. Thunder mountain Is a district something like 40 miles square, locat ed In a wilderness an neretorore un explored section of a state whose val leys may be bathed in sunshine, while mountains towering above are piled high with snow and swept by bllz sards where one may stand in the midst of summer and see winter by merely turning the head. Because of Its isolation. It was, until last year. comparatively unknown, excepting to a few miners who had penetrated to its very heart and, finding there great wealth, selfishly kept the secret iock- ed in their own breasts for many months. These men mined In primi tive fashion. They found much of the quartz on the surface decomposed, and this, together with placer ground, they worked in sluice boxes, or opunu ed In hand mortars, taking out from tlOO to 1700 a day to the man. But the season during whicn these opera tions could be continued was very short, owing to the lack of water. Only the early snow water could be used. Finally, the news leaked out, and miners began to go into tne new flelds. They brought out stories that sounded like romances, ,. and that might have been considered such had not they been backed up by Indis putable evidence tne yellow goia it self. The word ran from mouth to mouth. The local papers began to nrint stories of the wealth of the new district. Far and wide the tidings of gold were spread through the press The railroads took it up. Then the boom came. It has taken about three months to develop It It has now blossomed out in a setting of scenes similar to those that marked the exciting days of '49. To describe this stamped? would be to tell of thousands of men spending thousands of dollars in a fever of haste to be among the first to reach the new Eldorado, of large mining interests spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for properties and mills, of mining stocks run riot. It Is estimated at least 25,000 men will be In the camp this spring. The railroads, especially the Oregon Short line, seeing the rush coming made ar raacements to handle It, and have fur nished very satisfactory service, but the hotels In towns that are gateways to the gold flelds did not prepare for the extraordinary business. The re sult Is that, in this city, at least. It Is next to impossible to secure accommo dations. This condition will be re lieved after the trails are opened only to be transferred to the camp It self, where there Is bound to bo much privation. This winter flour has been selling there for ISO a sack, and it will be a marvel If all the pack trains available will be able, to keep the camp, with Its .constantly Increasing population, in provisions aurmg tne summer. With Its wealth of decomposed (marts and placer ground and Its im mense ledges, the new gold flelds have become attractive from the standpoint of both the miner and the rick investor. The Thunder Moun tain Gold Mining ft Mllllng'company headed by T. E. Barnsdall of Pitts burg, and Including Mr. Ouffey and other wealthy men of that city and Colonel Dewey, the Idaho millionaire, purchased th main group of claims owned br the original locators of Thunder mountain, the Caswell broth ' era, paying 1100,000 for them. Today the same group, about half a dozen claims, could not be bought lor 11,000 000. This group, known as the Dew- ay, baa been developed more than any other in tne district, tne wore rurnisn las? nroof that the ledges "go down The principal claim In the group is th Dewey. It baa a pay streak three feet wide at the surface and four at the 180-foot level. The or ta sprlnk- lad with gold and runs aa high as (10,000 a ton. This pay streak aioae, a far aa developed and sampled, shows om halt a million dollars. Th streak U baaksd pa tack sid br absolute quarries, the ore of which runs from $10 to $20 a too fine free milling ore. The ten stamp mill on the property Is to be displaced by a 100-stamp mill now being built. The Mackay Interests in New York, noldlng title under name of the Unit ed Mines company, have purchased $300,000 of Thunder mountain claims, having had a personal representative, Mr. . Fern, here for months. Other Eastern syndicates have been formed and have invested heavily there. But the real lively interest attaches to the camp from its attractiveness to the poor man. As high as $700 nas been taken out by two men in one day, one pounding decomposed quartz in a mortar and the other panning it in an ordinary prospector's pan. One huclred dollars a day to the man has been washed out of half frozen dirt in water melted from snow camp nres, small rockers being used. This sort of thing has done as much as the heavy investments of capital to make Thunder mountain the mecca of so many wealth seekers. The three Caswell brothers and one other man. a Mr. Ritchie, took out $11,000 in 12 days, running the dirt through big sluice boxes, During the winter they piled the dirt around the sluice boxes and poured it in, day and night, while the snow water was rim ing off the mountain sides in the pring. Truly, a short but profitable shift The Caswells. who had been pros pecting in Idaho for months, found themselves in Thunder mountain dis trict not so very long ago with Just $64 between them. They made some locations and borrowed enough money to equip the property, promising to pay the money back on a certain date or give their benefactor a quarter In terest in the property. Last fall their friend received $25,000 for his inter est, one-fourth of the purchase price of the Dewey group. The Pittsburg syndicate that purchased that group has bought all told $700,000 of prop erty In the new fields. To those who understand forma tions, the character of Thunder moun tain, aside from Its placer features, will be made plain and Its masslve ness Impressed by tnls brief state ment: In the district there is a por phry dike two and a half miles wide and ten miles long that is one solid mass of gold ore. There is no part of the mountain that is not rich, but of course, great wealth can not be ob tained without investment of large sums of money. That was why the uaswells, who were poor men, agreed to sell their first group for $100,000 it was better for them td do that than to devote tneir time to operations with crude equipment and only enough water for a few days sluicing a sea son. Some of the dirt In the Cas well claims decomposed quartz largely runs as high as $166 a pound. With plenty of water a million a year could be taken from those claims. As lack of it confines operations to such short periods, all extensive work In the district will be on quartz. In addition to the gold strike In Thunder mountain immense bodies of cinnabar, or quicksilver, have been discovered; the district not only sup plies the gold, but, as well, the min erals with which to amalgamate It. POINTS FOB GARDENERS. The garden should represent and ex- presa individuality and personal tastes of the gardener. If you love color allow your fancy full play. The man or woman who "makes gar den"t successfully is a veritable phil anthropist, and should be rewarded by full appreciation. And the work, like virtue, is Its own "exceeding rich re ward. Bring out from the cellar or basement the geraniums stored away there last autumn. Prune ruthlessly, repot and stand In the sunny windows. By the time the geranium beds are ready they will be In flne condition to plant. Do not forget the lovely amaryllls. the beautiful gladioli, the never failing begonia, when making out the lists for the coming season. Disappointments are rare In regard to any of these beau ties, and there are many varieties of each. Umbrella plants may be started from seed quite easily, with a little care. Do not attempt this, however, in a gas- heated house. Walt, In such case, until the seeds can be safely started outdoors The rewarding success will be delight ful. - Blue plants are fewer than those of any other color. But they serve admir ably to set off white, yellow, and cer tain shades of pale-pink and rose color, The sweet myosotls (forget-me-not) lobelia, blue delphinium, and tall lark spur are all good for contrast Aim to have plenty of paneies. They are free bloomers, may be kept blos soming all summer by feeding occaslon- lly and cutting back straggling branches, and are universal favorites, Good pansles can be grown from seeds but It Is usually better to buy plants if quick results are deaired. Yellow Is the best of all colors for garden- that lacks sunshine. It can be supplied plentifully from early spring until late autumn, beginning with daf fodils and tulips, and ending with chry santhemums. Marigolds, nasturtiums coreopsis, primroses, zinnias, and ye! low hollyhocks all produce good, vary ing shades. Musk, lavender, and heliotrope may be depended upon for perfume. So, too with spice pinks, certain verbenas mignonette, and sweet alyssum. In beds, groups, masses, or scattered throughout the garden these sweet scented darlings sre delightful. Moder ately good earth, liberal watering and ordinary care will keep them charming. Sixteen descendants of Anthony Brackett met at Portland, Me., recently tn Mmrnm their nlleeed title to a lane rat nf land tn the business center of that city. They claim that about 200 years ago an ancestor sold some land, and, as his wife did not sign the deed, 11 nhaonimnt titles are Invalid and the property ought to revert to the kn4 wm Tha IT.tn Thnmoa TlrftrWoti Reed Is one of the alleged heirs to this estate, estimated to he wortn sy.uuu.uw, TJneasr About Them. Neighbor"Donald, how are your cousins getting along that West a few rears Ago?" went out , Donald (aged 67 "I don't know, ma'am. W haven't heard from them for a long Urn, and ws'rt afraid they're goo to heaven.' NEW RHODES IDEA. VICTORIA FALL TO BS UTILIZED AS THOSE 07 NIAGARA. , Power to Be Furnished for Some Dis tance to the Cap to Cairo Bail road to Develop Region. London letter: We are continually hearing of new instances of the devel opment of industrial progress. The latest comes through the African Concessions Syndicate of London, which has sent a deputation to Africa to sur vey the Victoria Falls, which are said to have a height of 420 feet and a width of about a mile. It is estimated by the syndicate that the water passing over these falls Is many times greater than tnat at Niagara Falls. It Is believed that it will be found practicable to tup- ply electrical energy generated at the fails for working about 300 miles of the Cape-Cairo railway that is, 150 miles north and the same distance south. An other African enterprise which may be benefited by this development Is the tramways system of Bulawayo, some 240 miles away. There is to be a sep arate company formed for developing the mining and other industries of Rhodesia. In fact the whole Zambesi basin will DR. NEWTON TO GO Ttnl im nmmiitraiifwi nf bin 1 'i 1 1 si - " . -r'l ton has resigned the rectorship of All Souls Protestant Episcopal Church, New York, to accept the position of special preacher at the Leland Stan ford University. Palo Alto, California. Dr. Newton is noted for his elo quence and the liberality of his views doubtless be affected by the new enter prise, the district Involved being one of the most important in Africa, al though comparatively unknown until the discoveries of Livingstone, made in the last few decades. The Importance of this section will be understood more definitely when it Is remembered that the river basin of the Zambesi is coterminous on the north with a large area of the Congo River system and the great lakes that drain into It, while on the south and west an obscurely marked watershed, which crosses the Kallhar desert, sep arates It from the Orange river baaln and the livers that run through Orampo Land Into the Atlantic. This section of Africa Is undoubted ly destined to play an Important part In the development of the Dark conti nent It is an extensive plateau or table land from 3,000 to 4,000 feet above the sea-level, having an outer fringe or border of basaltic rocks, the cutting ARCHBISHOP RYAN CANDIDATE. err nrvwLC nriD go. Strong infloano has boon brought to bear on President Roosevelt to ind no bia to appoint Arthbishop Bran of Philadelphia to th Indian ffrnnml f p mads vacant by th death of Bishop Whippl. Xt to trged thad tha CathaUa Charth thou Id b represent ta th board. through which, formed by the Zambesi river, forms one of the most striking scenes in the physical geography of the earth, particularly emphasised in th Victoria Falls, so designated by Living stone, but known to the natives as Mos- ' iotunya or "smoke sounds there," con necting of course, the vapor rising from the falls with the tremendous sound therefrom. A few miles to the east of where the Chobe Joins the Zambesi, the latter, a stream less than three-quarters of a mile wide, plunges down into a chasm more than 100 feet deep, form ing a tremendous crack in the basaltic rock at right angles to its course, be ing carried along some 30 miles in the same direction in a narrow channel. In a distance of less than 220 miles above the Victoria Falls the Zambesi has 72 cataracts and rapids. The Victoria Falls are estimated to be 2,500 feet pbove the level of the sea. --From. the Portuguese town of Tete the Zambesi is ravlgable, although with great difficul ty in the dry season, and it passes through one or two narrow, rocky gorges in the Lupata mountains, which fall into ugly rapids except when the river is In full flood. The rapids of Lake Nyassa, where the Shire issues from it, are 1552 feet above the Victoria Falls, while those at Lake Shlrwa, a smaller body of water, southeast of Ny-asp-a, are 2.000 feet. An Important factor of the situation in the development of this region is that the Zulu race, here designated tha TO STANFORD. narlahionera. Rev. Sr. R. Hber NW- Amatabeles, who are of the purest negro type, and the dominant rac In Africa, are in control, having overrun and conquered all the other native tribes in the vicinity. The Portuguese have a nominal claim to Jurisdiction in this territory, which will, however, through the development of the Cape to Cairo railway scheme ultimately be come a part of the British sphere of in fluence, giving Britain virtually the key to the control of central Africa, an, Idea which was part of a long cherished dream of the late Cecil Rhodes. R. STEVENSON WHITE. .- The city of Evansville, Ind., proposes to construct and operate a telephone system of its own at an Initial cost of $250,000. The franchise of th existing company will expire In July next, and there were four bidders for the privil ege, but, the city will not consider any offers. mo nREsnTvi iu.t. UNCLE BILL ..y HE rural telephone an' mail service has made top notchers out uv the farmers," said Uncle Bill as he threw a bunch of new unions upon the editor's desk and followed them with his boot heels. Yes," remarked the editor, "the farmer ought to certainly be a happy man now, especially out your way, as I see that you get a trolley line, too." "Oh. we're glttin' 'bout all the doins' an' fixin's what's a-goin'," replied Uncle Bill. "We ain't a fussin' 'bout movin' inter town nowadays; we're studyin' out a summer resort proposi tion, but hired girls are too durn scarce since the telephone line has been estab lished." "What has the telephone service got to do with the scarcity of hired girls?" asked the editor. "Wail, every farmer what has a tele phone In his house has got ter keep a hired girl, that's all there Is 'bout that," asserted Uncle Bill. "The women folks can t 'tend ter the telephones an' their housework, too. Zeb Bowen is all right 'cause his wife's deaf an' the telephone don't bother her much. She's Jest as Xt Give Me a Shock. curious as the rest uv the women, but she can't git Inter the circuit on ac count uv her hearin'." "Out of the circuit? I don't quite un derstand you. And then, aa to al the farmers who have 'phones having to employ hired girls? You are a little vague, old man; a little vague," re marked the editor. "It's Jest like this," said Uncle Bill, getting warmed up, "In order ter test the problem uv how the telephones was workin', I used a little strategy. Helen had gone visltln' over ter Zeb Bowen's, so I said; ter myself now's tne time ter see Jest how much curiosity the women folks along the line has. So I went ter the telephone an' give two short rings and' then three long ones. That Is the Widder Baxter's call, sort uv a two-caU-flve game. Well, I antled with the two short rings, so thought I'd stay an' chiped in the other three rings; an' a voice that sounded like eatin' horse radish said 'Hello,' an' I said 'la that you. Widder?' Agin that voice said 'Yes, It's me.' An' then I had ter wipe my eyes 'fore I said enythlng more. Then I continued: 'Helen's gone away, so I thought I'd call you up an' have a visit' Jest then I beered Helen's voice say. "the wretch;' an' then I heerd Mandy Spencer say, uv all things: via Bill is maktn' a date with Widder Bax ter: an I heerd three or four more voices give a grunt an' a 'huh,' and slch like, an' it give me a shock when I heerd Cy Prewett's wife sing out 'I'm shocked.' So I hollered back, 'so be I, 'I Jest wanted the widder,' said I, 'an' I've got ever gosh durn woman in the neighborhood.' "Say. you got into a warm muddle. didn't you?" Interestedly asked the edi tor. "Yes. an' while I was a-hangin' there at the telephone, Cy Prewett called out, Yer'll 8e Him Eatin' Pie. 'Hel-belo-Bill,' and then he started in ter 'Josh' me. He said he's got a new suit uv clothes,, 'an electric suit I ask him what he ment by 'an electric suit,' an' he said his wife had 'bought him a suit an' had 'em charged.' Cy was Inter Chicago last week, an' I'll bet he heerd that In there. An then I said, Cy, have yer got a hired girl ylt?AH us farmers has got ter git one now, 'cause the wo men folks is goln' ter be busy now, try In' tor hear what everyone Is sayln' "; an' then yer ought ter uv heerd the murmurs along the line. Cy always tries ter help a feller out, so he said: 'No-slr-ee; don't you think that There ain't a woman in the whole neighbor hood what would be mean enough ter do that' Ter see he said that so'st they wouldn't talk 'bout the fix be thought I'd got myself into, An' then he start ed la Ur tU how our rural mall carrier had got a snap. I asked bin how tha was an' he said', 'Watch htm when kola drivin' along an' yer'll see him eattm pie. I said, 'Wall, what uv thatr Thorn he said, 'Oh, nothln', only the womam folks along the line is baking uv him pies, while corn bread was good enougm fur us;' and then yer could hear voice whisperin' out, 'Oh, the vile liar,' an sich like; an' then Cy continued, 'III tel yer, Bill, we've got ter watch out. or we'll have more mail out at Shako Rag than some on us want' Wall, sir, do yer know that so far there haint been nothin said 'bout me telephonic the widder?" "Hasn't yer wife said anything about it?" inquired the editor. "Nope, but she looks as though she had a bad case uv dyspepsia ever einoa that time. I told her the other day that I guessed we'd have ter git a hired girl, but she said, 'If I could 'tend ter myvworkrsbe couid ter hers;' so I'to. been workln' like satin since then. I'm workin' so dumbed hard that I dream I'm workin when I'm alseep, an' it'a terrible rackin' on a feller's nerves, 'cause I can't sleep nights." "Why can't you sleep nights?" asked the editor. "Have ter lay awake ter keep from workin. A feller has ter have some rest," said' Uncle Bill, as .he Jumped for the telephone and yelled "Helo there. PERSONAL AND OTHERWISE. Since Anril 1 rates have been reduced over the Postal Telegraph Cable com pany lines, as follows: From Kansas City, Mo., to all points in Louisiana, 50 and 3 day. and 40 and 3 night. Thla will be of Interest to the commercial and general public. Statisticians have generally divided the German immigration into two per iodsthe decade from 1860 to 187Q oe ing the transition stage. In the first neriod. from 1815 to 1860. not a year passed but men of the higher classes, dissatisfied or tormenteo. pouuciana, came from Germany. They were es pecially numerous from 1830 to 1848. Since 1860. on the other hand, there have been few political exiles among the immigrants. ' A syndicate comprising English capi talists has been formed to promote the sale of "tie silks," composed of 50 per cent wood pulp and 60 per cent arti ficial silk. Samples are being suDmit- ted to the wholesale neckwear manu facturers and considerable experiment ing is taking place. In point of price, this material shows advantage over conventional fabrics. Its luster, feel and general appearance closely resem ble ge nuine silk. A dispatch to the New York Times says: The elaborate snaxespeare mem orial, suggested for London by r airman Ordish, the distinguished antiquarian topographer, consists of the permanent erection In the new Strand to Holborn tVn.n.l,fQpa nf an AT&r model Of AS- old Elizabeth theatre, and also of a block of Tudor houses. He suggests that something should be done to thla end by the next anniversary of the poet's birth. The other day Count von Buelow, in replying to a question from Herr Rich ter, the radical leader, on the subject of imperialism, made an elaborate statement, and then startled the reich- stag by saying to Rlchter: "What more do you ask of me, sweetheart 7" Tne phrase is such a vast Improvement on parliamentary language that it may be followed, and Von Buelow may yet be looked up to as the man who reformed debate and made it a thing of sweetness and love. The New York board of health main tains a department of its own where the Pasteur treatment can be administered to sufferers from the bites of animals. The authorities in charge are preparing for the use of the police a pamphlet or in Etruction telling them what to do when people are bitten. In all cases the dog or other animal is to be taken alive, if possible, and delivered to the health officers In order that they may determine whether it is suffering from rabies. A means of distinguishing death from catalepsy has been devised by Dr. I card. of Marseilles, and submitted to tne Academle of Sciences. He injects flour- cscln, a strong coloring matter that is not poisonous, Into the veins. At gramme of flourescln solution will color 4,000 litres of water, ir there is any circulation the body will turn grass green In two minutes, but the color passes away In a coupls of hours with out doing any harm. The Rev. William H. Walker Is about to give up the pastorate of the First Congregational church, at Wilmette. 111., and one of the reasons assigned for his departure is that the women or bis congregation do not like his personal appearance. The brushing of his hair in pompadour style, the minister al leges, caused his trouble. "I admit." he said the other day, "that I am not a handsome man, and It Is my exper ience that many women would rather see a good-looking man than hear a good sermon." A compromise decision has been ren dered in the case of the Chicago cor porations which sought an injunction to prevent alleged excessive taxation. The court holds that the assessment Is from 30 to 40 per cent too high, but rules that the companies must pay 60 to 70 per cent of the assessment before the Injunction can be Issued. This will necessitate payments aggregating 15, 000,000. x ;1 Oregor Marasll, who was formerly mayor of Odessa, and who is a Greek by birth, decided some years ago to devote all his wealth, which Is consid erable, to educating his countrymen. Ho came to the conclusion that the best way to do It was by means of transla tions of German historic and scientific books, sold In cheap editions. So fsr about fifty volumes of Mommsen, Zeller, Curtlus, Droysen, Muler and others have been Issued. M. Hughes Le Roux, the French writ er and traveler, now In this country, was commissioned by the French gov ernment to study economic questions in Abyssinia, and,, after a visit to that country, asserts that American cottons have secured such a bold upon th em pire as to actually constitute a mone tary standard. A place 10 yards long, the average pries of which Is It, token by whlchAbyeslnlan cote to psa chased U ths rations of MOdMtloa. ,
