Show GETTING TO THE MINES ride hide over rl a wonderful mountain cost of living mercur lies iles about forty miles southwest ot of salt lake in it a direct line and eltty nine rollee miles by railroad doing by tall lall on one loaves leaves salt lake at a in reaching life herour at 1030 a in the route lloa ilea almost due south from salt lake to lehl lehi Ju junction nation twenty nine miles reached by both the kio ilia grande waste western rn arid union pacific railroads where the mercur conch coach Is switched from fram the main line to fr the eureka branch ot of the lite union pacific Paol fic prom from lehl lehi junction the course iles almost due dua west to aalf flold junction twenty miles ilore hero tem for the cyb aya tilde camp change MR can to the wonderful piece of oc railroad engineering called the salt halt lake railroad DARING PIECE or OF TION mr J 0 jacobs the promoter it builder u lidor lider and manager of the salt sail L lake ko herour railroad la Is an ohio man arid and cents cama to salt bait luke lake in 1890 lie he had considerable in building railroads in the middle states fes the lait one being the st fit louis kansas city A Coloia do now a part of 0 th tha a 9 santa an t a ve fe atoni system it 11 vas as a railroad lall lail road project of 0 large that brought him to utah and while the project la is still at work he has never taken any active part in pushing it along alone the mercur I 1 road was conceived by him in 1891 through ills his association and contact with ur mr II if W brown who ho tit at that time was one ins of tile the principal stockholders in the celebrated mercer mine the mercer people were castanor cas tinor about tor for some dome plan of getting their ore from rom the mine to the mill otherwise than by wagon dopona a distance of six miles mr jacobs jacoba made a proposition to the her cur company to tn haul tons tona a day for five years which was avas accepted and with that contract acl ho he rained the money to build the rond road before making the contract he made diligent inquiry Ini ulry and examination ot of the camps resources and prospects for the future and the last years strides has proved his hl rood good judgment the road Is IL a marvel of modern engineering and construction and notwithstanding received from avis durin during 9 c construction 0 n st that the load could not be operated on account of 0 grade and curvia aveo that it would not pay and etc r hut t t the a builder pushed ahead to completion and commenced to haul the tons of 0 ore a day the next day after the last lam spike was driven he studied the and necessities of the road made improvements prove ments and adjustments where necessary bought rolling railing stack block of the most mort pattern employed the best beet of 0 skilled labor anil and today who says saya the road Is not a success and mr jacobs buethe has the respect and perfect confidence of his men that Is not always attained between manager and fill plo floyces ploy ces the vim pugh and energy displayed in the operation of thin little slant giant of a railroad to Is of the manager and tho the same spirit of pride care and persistence seems to pervade the employ employees eca STEEP GRADES SHARP CURVES the road rand to la eleven miles long lone with the twelfth under construction fill an all average of 4 per rent cent trade grade and curves of an unusual degree some halt half dozen curves of 4 at degrees decrees each yet cars fifty feet in length loaded eulth pounds of any class of freight are arc taken up over the ro road a with perfect ease case col C 1 D moore the chelf engineer of tills wonderful ploce place of railroad served tor for years with alth the burlington santa re fe arid and mexican central but never before were hla his efforts taxed as in this work anti and to say lie has aclid achieved oved tame fame puts it mildly the rood road employs about thirty men including ak rits train and section men tho the survey of this road commenced during durl nii the month of 0 july 1804 with the problem of developing a line of road having a grade of 1 4 per cent with C rh cit it elevation of feet acet to overcome in so a direct distance of four our and three fourtha miles namely froni from fairfield station to the summit one mile west of the mine the then ter tei minus mines of the proposed rowl road A uniform grade was laid from fairfield to the summit and contractors immediately placed at work and the construction pushed to completion on the day of january 1195 the development of 0 this line gave a dist dl stanro anee of tour four and a quarter miles from rom to manning tir or the me liter our cur mill willi it a r rise so of 0 14 foot feet the elevation of fairfield Pal ifield li Is feet above rea it to level IT P data which la Is higher than the that t used on the cont construction ruction of this road making tho the elevation of manning feet above sea level from this point the road continues to the summit n distance of miles calsing from meaning manning station 1142 1 feet reaching on an elevation of feet above sea level from tho the summit to the terminus the grade bolln feet to the terminus making an elevation of track at mines of feet above sea level RECENT E extensions since tire the completion of the road an extension extent lon to ot feet has haa been constructed ted to the lil mattle attle no 4 mine and grading lone done on the proposed extension to the town 0 of mercur for FL distance of 1500 feet and the work to station grounds under way which will be comple completed ted in t the be near lear future fu furnishing anish every facility which the peculiar r formation of the country will permit of tor for the quick and easy handling of the freight of the little roads patrons patro nii and avoiding avold lne the precipitous climb train from mercur to the present station of the company by the passengers the road has six loops or points at which direct and complete turns are made turning in a radius of feet or it a 43 41 degree curve economical management the management of the road speaks tor for itself one man to look after finances passenger and freight rates repairs and betterments and with the operation of twenty trains every twenty tour four hours requires ability of no interior kind the road Is now handling about tons per month of ore and miscellaneous freight tor for the town mines and mill the bulk of this mixed freight goes to the mines and mills arid and when the extension now under way la Is completed the r road cold will ill have direct c connection 0 by the use of 0 short spurs with every principal mine and mill in tile the district except one tile the road has haa been handling this enormous freight business with only two engines another new engine t Is now being built tor for it climbing this marvelous giant corkscrew ono one sees to tho the enst east the broad plain known as cedar valley the spur of foothills that separate cedar valley antl and utah lake catches catcher 2 glimpse of the beautiful little lake itself and beyond the majestic snow covered peeks peaks of the wasatch that feed the lake and water ill the fertile utah A valley alley in which the lake lies iles the scene Is A vision 0 of picturesque tur esque beauty rarely equaled on the most molt noted of the gre great a t be scenic ell I 1 C r routes ALL t S ot of the world coming over I 1 the he divide into macur the train wines comes to an abrupt flop on the side of the canyon clear above t the he town and a stones throw of 0 the famous mercur mercer mine which plunges into the mountain almost at the crest creat of the canyons south wall the descent fr from am the railroad staff station est to the town time itself if Is made in st stages ag it it happens to be winter inter and the roads are at tho the usual stage of mining camp ft demoralization moralization the ride down doan the ida elde of the canyon Is apt to prove quite as exhilarating ns ast tile the most enthusiastic thusia seeker after adventure coull could wish apparently tile the driver has little choice between follow ing tile the torte tortu tortuous oua us grade down the side hill or ro rolling lillig straight down with ills his load happily he be Is 13 moro marc careful tran tho the nervous tenderfoot would think from hla his apparent indifference for the record so far shows no set aeilous lous accidents and the trip la in safer titan tire the modern trolley on the same kind of a grade FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE TOWN th tha first glimpse of the real town Is rhoba aa a tile the stage rounds the last curve into the ilea head 1 I of lewiston Lew lalon canyon in which tile the business and most moat of the places ila 10 lo lien at taja golden gate cato offices tho the altitude Is fact opening to the west ihn file canyon takes quite a sharp pitch down between rather steep walls with occa coca atonal spaces of flat affording room tor for a long straggling row of buildings on either side of tile the single thoroughfare Is the main and only street of tile the camp it if one Is accustomed to the sights eights of a new camp he will find surprising in tl the le A appearance ppe arance of 0 the town if however ile ho Is of the genus tenderfoot ho be wl will il alte be almost appalled by the bandbox band box newness of the structures all of the bounes and stores goolt as though they might have been planed out of 0 the wood mond within the last two days A fw few at 0 them have at ati tempted to disguise their freshness fresh under thin costs coats of point paint but the he new HOBB strikes out transparently it suggest nothing so no much as a A youngster in n a spick opta suit stilt of clothes just out ot of the store who if id trying t to 0 look tin uni csc julia if this first imar impression e ion has prepared tho the for far t the h e ducom biscom tarts that attend life in a new camp lie ile Is booked tor for a pleasant our ur ariso in the first place he will find that tile tha hotels hotel are infinitely better than tto iho ordinary camp hostelries find and very much better than can bo be found foud I 1 in n towns of ten or twenty times ti t population tho the rates latos too are not ex x trava gant noard doard in the bet best hotels of 0 t the he town cc cons it to 10 vcr per week it day rato of V 2 in the miners houses ono may livet live very comfortably at tile the rate of 1 1 a day house rent to la proportionately more eapen expensive 0 lye because f tb to influx ot of population han hai run ahead I 1 of the building facilities A three room cottave very easily costly situated altu atoil may lu be had tor for from tle 12 to a month with an IL average throughout the camp of 0 about 15 such houses us u f this how over ever or are provided in many instances with luxuries unheard 0 of in most mining district such as running water in the house a fairly good sewer arlinge arninge mant find and an accessibility thit flint contributes much to their desirability as TUG THE COST OF LIVING tile the coq coit of household supplies Is 1 urel nt at from 16 to 20 per cent higher than the same commodities cost cort in salt sail luke lake meat costs coals on an nn an average about 12 cents per po pound und potatoes 10 0 cents per bushel eggs 8 lt cents a d dozen 0 zen and so on ahr through gh the of 0 s topic staple supplies if aepli ea in the sum ncr er living if I 1 comparatively alvel Il ively vel cheaper ch per certainly better and for less lees cost as eit than ln in any camp in this country of any dimen iona this Is due primarily to the accessibility of the camp cam p from supply points utah valley is 1 within a lery cry e tasy days drive of 0 the camp and alth A t it its inexhaustible ou aplies of cheap fruit vegetables eggs a and nd butter makes life more than tolerable A hie in the camp fuel lump coal of tho the rock springs Spring lot glade elide costs coata a ton ion its as comp areu ou n lake freights are quite reasons reasonable ble ft lion hen one considers that the one road read has he it 0 complete monopoly of traffic rattle into the town arid and that tills name game road was built under circumstances that thai rendered it an apparently hazard hazardous nua investment Vt ment one freight bill may br be cited as aa it a specimen it was waa for hotel ell aplies rupp lles shipped from salt lake the rate per hundred train from salt lake to mercur mercer was 70 cents cent of which 45 was from salt lake to fairfield ju junction n often 16 from fall FaIrfi field cid to mercur mercer station and 10 i from tile hie station elation down into the th iown town by wagon SOME REAL HEAL ESTATE FIGURES real estate prices have already been through an incipient boom stage and reacted to a condition of inactivity the boom wa was seemingly started on the rutht theory thal thai mercur mercer was destined to be lie greatest ot of the hie now new camps cam ps of the count tile the pro mr enters at t the whirl obviously overlooked the tact fact that development work on oil mints does docs not mean immediate production lots lota on the main street jumped front rom insignificant figures to prices price ranging from 1200 to 2500 for parcels 25 by feet one triangle e ot of ground lit at the intersection of 0 lew lewiston and toll canyon and marlon marion gulch was wag and Is yet hold held at 1 for 18 38 by 60 feet naturally on an income basin and with ft a tributary population of at tile the bustness business conditions hax hae e disappointed those who ila invested with the expectation expect aLlon of realizing big krofl profits is on these prices whore the investment lias has been made permanent and improvements have been made to that end the returns have been quite Y eyell even on th high hie valuations anti anil it seems keemp certain that the narrow strip available for business purposes will always command a a fancy dilce price three different town make up the building port portion ion a 0 f the camp the r he original mercur townsite te la Is located on art the june hug bux and baby elephant mining claims down the canyon from this around Is what Is known its as johannesburg around arg where the title to the ground Is disputed by mining claimants and it a number ot of settlers who have squatted on the ground find and claim to have settlers rights at the head of lewla lew ton cani canon onon on ground owned by capt cant delamar a new Is plotted and called the golden colden gate addition n this la Is surrounded by prohibition restrictions strict ions and has already been made tho the basis of church operation by the alft of lots from capt delamar to the episcopal Epta copal and mormon churches sanitary conditions are n the tha crude state as aa yet because of the unsettled condition of local government until the town Is incorporated and the new municipal officers installed there will be no central authority fr to map out street improvements enforce sanitary regulations and carry on oil public affairs generally it Is promised however that when the little city has etah climb ishoi its ita administration there will be every improvement that can add to the health and comfort of its people it already has one of the most unusual of mining camp lux luxuries in a perfectly pure water supply tills la Is turn furnished dished from ophir creek lit in ophir canyon twelve miles north of tho the camp the sewerage of the camp promises to be an easy problem because of the natural grade down canyon and the facilities tor for disposing of the sewerage at a a sate afe distance from the camp As to street improvements the material on the dump of 0 tho the marlon marion or any ot of the other mines near the town makes an excellent excelle ex colle pt top dressing for roads packing to a cerne cement nt like hardness and it can be handled tor for practically CA fly nothing more than the cost of ten teaming ining the climate Is like that usual in in mountain regions gloni re in that the r snowfall now fall in winter Is copious the |