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Show INT m HEAVEN. Methodist Conference Visitors Escorted to the Motmtains Six Thousand ' Feet From Earth. THET WITNESSED GEAND SIGHTS. The Gold Mines of Bingham Thoroughly Explored and the Modes of Securing Secur-ing Wealth Explained. 'J'0 THE EDITOR OF TllE TIMES! It was a sediitely joily company of Methodist Metho-dist conference visitors, led by Bishop Nlnde and Dr. Payne, which, responding respond-ing to Brother P. A. II. Franklin's generous gen-erous invitation, mounted with the rising ris-ing sun on Tuesday last to a point 0000 feet nearer heaven, it may be, thau many of them ever attained before. They were invited to visit the mines and their beautiful surroundings be-loning.to be-loning.to the .Niagara Mining and Smelting company, of which Mr. Franklin Frank-lin is president. The visitors whilcd away tho brief time the train was rushing rush-ing through tho cultivated lields and by the busy hives of tho smelter men of the valley and pulling up tho grade before entering the canyon, by singing heartily the stirring songs of Zion as none but Methodist missionaries, their wives and sweethearts can sing them. Entering the mountains, clusters of wild roses, elderberry and wildchcrry blossoms with various-hued llowcrs of other kinds made fragrant tho morning air. Stopping for a while at the throbbing throb-bing lead mill they inspected its workings. work-ings. Across the way tho bedrock tunnel tun-nel and 11 nine, now in some 11000 feet at its mouth, disgorges clear water in a stream 40 inches wide by 12 inches in depth, furnishing an opportunity for the visitors to see somo of tho appliances of mining. The surface mountain stream yellow and turbid with gold washing and concentrating works, when contrasted with the limpid water from tho earth's recesses flowing at its side; was like a river of life flowing hard by a torrent of poison aud death. It is a fact that the, surface wider, charged with various deleterious minerals, if used for irrigation irriga-tion purposes, lodges on the growing alfalta and endangers tho health anil lifo of animals feeding upon it. "All aboard," and the train creeps up to the depot, and to tho tramway whose sinuous way follows the windings of the hills which overlook the canyon road and its continuous lining of buildings. Into tho primitive trauu-ars tho bishop and his llock of delighted uou-mounlaineers climb as best they can. Tho cars are loaded with the owners of parasols and flying ribbons, and tho mule locomotives locomo-tives "he-haw" their noisy delight as they pull their ; -hilarious freight, instead in-stead of their usual load of undemonstrative undemon-strative coal and iron. It is a pleasant ride up past the center of Bingham to the side ravine, in which is located the mouth of tho great drain tunnel which is to tap the score or more of mines and claims which compose the magnificent consolidation to be developed by this eastern company of capitalists. The main tunnel is to be six toet wide by seven feet high with a sunkeu waterway water-way for the drainage along the center. It will be driven day and night directly for the Spanish groupe of mines which it will strike in about 2,200 feet at a depth of about 850 feet. Diverging to the right ami left, it will strike the old Utah groupe at a depth of from 500 to 000 feet; the Miller cluster at a depth of 800 feet, and the way-up Indiana at 1,400 feet. It is a big undertaking with big capital and it is fair to predict a big return on the outlay. The broadi and comprehensive policy and fair dqaling of its management manage-ment renders impossible the ordinary litigation which so often attends extraordinary extra-ordinary investments in mining cuter-prises. cuter-prises. There is room aud opportunity ou tho same great belt of mineral, to multiply similar combinations, to the mutual advantage of tho community and of the investors. But tho mountain appetites of the excursiouists cry aloud for the mules to "move On" and the long-eared propellors justify the scriptural scrip-tural assertion that " tho ass knoweth his master's crib," and the famous rolled oats therein, and so the rolling stock with its precious cargo moves on to the well tilled dinner tables of their public spirited host and entertainer. The bishop and some others, after clothing themselves in tho canonical robes and top boots of the minors, explored ex-plored tho labyrinth of tunnels, shafts and winzes iu some of the mines, and all returned to the city in the evening on a special train. It is safe to say that in the memories of those self-sacrificing workers in the leading home missionary church of this aggressive age, the excursion to the Highlands of Bingham will mark a red-letter red-letter day ia their lives. J. F. B. |