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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1874)
mmm THE HESPERIAN STUDENT. ' i' ' tain Is qnlto easy i)f ascenl, being inoro sloping tliuit uithur Grlllllh or Democrat Thcro lire inoro soil and fewer largo stones horo, which lessons tho danger, tliougli ll seldom occurs, of those missiles as tlioy roll from tlioir rooky fastness to tlio val. loy below. The oily at tho base Hoeins to bo trying to use a part of its rough Bido for building purposes a few venturous oiioh liuvo built thoir homos upon its rug. god side overlooking tho oily. Ah it stands, reaching up a thousand feet to embrace the winter's blast, it looks some like a side to a triangle, which gradually forms a point al Hie top, when ll becomes full and, reaches backward up the creek, like a wedge driven by tho power of Oin. nipotonco between the two mountains, Grilllih and Democrat, lt.s treeless and bleak face, snow-covered and gloomy west side, for some cause, as yet falls to be tho homo of silver deposits, not because the prospector has not wandered along the "hilly paths and pierced its cold and un inviting side, for you can see wliero in many places ho has labored, dug holes and tunnelled. On the east side you 11ml mines rich, whore tho Colorado Central Mining Company, one of tho richest in this region, is located, besides many olh. ers of less note. It seems that these mines have locality one place opens lin er lodes, while u .short ways oil", just over on the other side, they are a failure. Democrat Mountain, tho largest one, as well as the Holiest In silver ore, forms the western boundary line of the city. Its massive head reaches nearly fifteen hun dred feet above the level of the city. Here you find mines scattered all around. This mountain seems to be ribbed through and through with the precious metal and needs but the stout arm and willing heart to open tho rich lodes and gather the har vest of silver. Democrat Mountain is steeper and more rocky than olther of tho other two places almost perpendicular faced willi solid granite rock. At the foot or base of this gigantic upheaval of earth, rock and mineral, runs the wagon and stage road up tho valley to Silver Plume (a new town of three or lour hun dred people), and over the range to Mid dle Park. These mountains are bare, though, at one time, much pine timber was found on them; but the wants of the miner and the necessities of a growing city have despoiled thorn of their beauty. The valley here is wider than at any other place on the stream, being nearly half a mile in width, quite sandy and lev el. Tho creek furnishes an abundance of water pjwer for the reduction mills, and to tho citizens cool, clear, pure wa'or for all purposes. Tho water power hero equals, If it does not excel, thai of any other place on the stream. The great want is room whereon to build rathorthan water to run the machinery. It lias been estimated that the fall of water is suffi cient in every six or sovon hundred lectio turn ponderous machinery. Tho stream Is not deep four or five inch,. of water rushes along over tho stones which have rolled down from the mountains. The city embraces all the available land. The area thus Included Is (132 acres, 22 rods and 12 yards. It la sup plied with water from tho mountain by Holly's water works at a cost of $20,000. The pipes arc laid all through tho city Into tho hotols, stores and private resi dences; thcro aro but few wolls of water In tho town. Tho streets aro of good width, straight and Intersect each other at right angles, crossing Clear Creek and its branch on well built, substantial wooden bridges. Tlioy run north and south, east and wosl. Side walks aro built on the principal streets, which aro paved with gravel andslonos from Ihobod of tho stream, forming a hard, smooth surface over which the mountain wagons and stages rattle as they roll through the streets. Mud is an unknown factor, but dust, Hie bane of tho Iravolor, rolls from beneath the stage In olouds as It rumbles along the valley road. Building material hero is ptnu lumber from the mountains and tho vicinity, and from the valley of Clear Creek county. Until wllhln a year all (he buildings wore wood little one and two story shops and houses, but now a largo three story brick public school house graces tho oil which would honor many of our more pretentious prairie towns. Brick stores and line private residences are taking the places of the shanties. Magnificent churches of wood and stone show a pub lic spirit which Is creditable to them im men and and an honor to thorn as a city. Four churches find friends enough to support a watchman on the walls ol'Zion and build a chapel wheroin to worship. These are the Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal and the Catholic. All have a membership, while the Epihcopnl, for the reason that it Is located in the heart of the city, lias the popular congregation. Tho public buildings arc quite expen sive and well built, wnile the private hou ses aro painted and ornamented, giving to them an aspect of wealth and comfort combined with culture and refinement. A wagon road connects tho railroad and the town. The Colorado Stage Co. trans fers passengers from the end of the rail road to Georgetown a distance of twenty miles in two and a half hours, for two dollars and fifty cents, allowing each pas senger forty pounds of baggage, extra, charged ten cenls a pounJ. The road Is good, with fow places where you experi ence any alarming sensations while pass ing. It is owned and controlled by the company, who keep a largo gang of men at work to keep it open, free from stones I1M up the holes and collect the toll. The city expects to unite the outside world with this mining district by bands of iron during the year, which will give increased advantages and facilities for shipping ores to to tho East and biinging back produce and clothing. To those who aro accustomed to see a mile or two of railroad built in a day, one word do not imagine that rail roadingin the mountains can bo rushed along at the cost of five or ten thousand dollars per mile, but rail road building here means the carving the right of way out out of tho solid rock, bridging mountain streams and filling up Iho valleys with rock blast, ed from the mountains which overhang and surround tho road on every side. Tho political divisions of the country, unlike our division into precincts and townships, are divided into districts, known as mining districts, and usually aro named alter tho first discoverer. Tho District, in which Georgetown is, was settled in 1800 by tho Griffith family, from which the town and district take their name; the town from George Griff, ith, its first explorer. j Tho town was first surveyed and pi- led In 1800, but this survey and plat was lost, when seven years after It was again sur veyed. Tho chartor of incorporation was granted In January, 1808. The mines furnish the business for me- ohanics, merchants mid laborerors, and when those stop all slop, pull up and leave, as has boon tho case with towns on the creek. Wages for mining are three dollars por day for greenhorns, four for old hands; board from llvo to twelve dollars a week, according lo one's habits, but good, fair hoard can bo had wllh bod for eight dob I nrs per week. Carpenters oarn four dob bus a day, blacksmiths, llvo besides tlioir board. This latter cIiibs usually aro In good demand olther at tho mines or in the towns. Tho population of this growing and beautiful city is 2,500 permanent residents and about 700 or 800 minors scattered ov er the surrounding mountains, who make lithe base of supplies, the place of amuse ment, and the point for rocoiving and sending their mail. Evory olline and na tion almost is represented. The Chinese with his queue braided and coiled up on the back part of his head, patient and shingle faced, gleets you for washing, tho warm blooded Mexican, the treacherous Spaniard, the ambitious Yankee, full of life and enterprise, tho Gorman from the Fatherland, and the Irishman from Emer ald's greon isle all mingle in one com mon mass, each in some souse the keeper and protector of the other and bound to gether by tho same hopes and anticipa tions of discovering tho precious moral silver which abounds in inexhaustible quantities in tho vicinity. Tho peoplo, in many cases, wear rough looking clothes, but aro intelligent well educated, bavin' come here for thoir health, they like the climate, city, and scenery so well that they aro unwilling to roturn to thoir old places of disease; but, expending a few dollars in the necessary implements of a minor, start for the mines to acquire that inestimable boon, more precious than silver or gold health. The young man and tho middle aged are hero in large numbers, most of them without families, kin or kindred, drifting around, sporting with every Heeling fancy and controlled by but ono idea, purpose or motive the acquisition of mineral or silver. Mack. LOCAL NEWS. Students are busy working up for I examination. Previous engagements areas plenti ful this year as usual. Students should patronize tho busi ness men who advertise in the Student. We pity that Algebraic Fresh who was "euchred" out of his girl by an cntor prising Soph. We feel for tho Prep who went to see a young lady and could not remember tho door through which ho went in. Our paper was delayed this month, by the non-arrival of our paper. Wo hope our next issue will be out on the 20th. It was peculiar to sec a Junior, a Prop, and a lady Soph, all three hanging on tho garden gate, yet such a Ihing occurred a few days ago. We aro pleased to nolo tho fact that Chancellor A. It. Benton has bojn elected one of tho Directors of tho National Al umni Association. It was pretty hard on that Soph, who after having bought two tickets for Gen. Kilpatriok's lecture, had to take ono back to Prof. Church and get his money re funded, merely becauso his girl went back on him. A number of the boys aro in quirln who has"l,akon" (In Junior, who won down street with a rod card on his back bearing tho inscription "Taken." One oftnoboys in tho Sub-Freshman class startled his room-mate by saying, "They say wo aro 'Pups;' isn't that rough V" Ho had mistaken tho namo, Prep. Wo advlso tho student who rapped at a door of the house of a young lady in Soutli Lincoln for fifteen or twenty mln utes, to use his boot tho next timo, if sho won't come to the door. Tho singing class moots on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2 p.m. Tho class is growing largor all tho time, and when wo contemplate tho beauties of music wo can only say "gosh." A Prop in ono of our debating socie ties quoted tho following passage from tho Bible: " You cannot sorvo two masters, you will either serve ono or tho other, bo cause there is no halfway-across business." Owing to the number of advertise monts that wo have received, wo have boon crowded out of two columns on our own page, and have, through tho consent of our Editor-in-chief, boon permitted to uso some space on this page. Notick. Tho mombors of tho IIkspkk. ian Studknt Association will meet in Prof. Church's room, on Monday, tho 7th of December, at 8 p. m , for tho oloc lion of officers for tho ensuing year. By order of tho President. It must be interesting lo outsiders to have one of tho students In Iho Elocution Class to rush up to them and exclaim "Thou slave, thou Avrctch, thou villian" and afterwatds apolgiso and say that tlioy learned that sentence in class. The politicians of the State aro work ing very hard in the election of tho next Senator from Nebraska, but not much harder than some of the students who aro holding a number of caucuses concern ing the election of ofllccrs in our collogo societies for tho ensuing year. Ono of tho small out-buildings on our campus was burned a fow mornings ago. The city papers said that Iho fire occurrod "at precisely 20 minutes past 4, a. m.," on Sunday morning. It was undoubtedly tho work of incendiaries, and tho Janitor lias tho names of about thirty of the boys whom he thinks were engaged in tho no furious business. PERSONAL, J. O. Sturdovant will commence touch ing school noxt month- Caldwell will commence teaching a school down in Otoe County in a few days! G. M. Sturdovant will commence toaclw ing school in Saunders County noxt month. II. II. Wilson will sway tho school-master's sceptre at Bonnctt for two or thrco months. 74. F. P. Ilurd is expected to spend Now Year's Day in this city. His many friends will be glad to see him. '74 U. H. Malick has at last been heard from. Ho has boon grangerizing during tho summer, but is now studying medicino at Sutton. John McLean has returned from Color ado, wo understand that ho will go back again In a short time, anrt for the present is stopping with Lamb &Bllllngsly. I'l i' I fl mJ H 1 . 1 1 ii I ll .1 I? I I tnnmurf k