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. ,
