Show ON THE D R G the country which the Colu colorado rado midland traverses between grand junction and denver Is ia very interesting and much of the scenery along the route exceedingly grand the highest point attained at hagerman tunnel to is feet above sea level A new tunnel is being constructed some feet lower and feet in length which when completed will shorten the time the journey now biow occupies about one hour the road in descending towards leadville from the hagerman tunnel winds about a good deal and it is said seven mule shoe tape laps are visible from one point but it happened to be too dark when we were in that locality to see see it to advantage on n reaching leadville during the night of the dinst a tedious wait of several hours occurred owing to a freight train which preceded us having been wrecked at a point about seventeen miles from Leat iville by the breaking of a car wheel resulting in the piling up of seven cars loaded with ore one upon another the engineer and fireman escaped injury by jumping the people on the passenger train appeared too thankful over in the wreck to indulge in any complaint at the delay so it was endure endured 1 with patience soon boon after daylight on the morning of the passing buena vista a lovely valley with a pretty village nestling in ill he bottom of it which as the name implies presents a most mosi charming view from the hill abolt where the train halted our party was joined by dr H J allen alien a wealthy and influential citizen of buena vista who was one of the pioneers of this region and who as I 1 soon learned from conversing with him knew what of utah and its people as well and had something else than denunciations to accord to them soon boon after graduating from a medical college in 1857 her joined the united states army as an surgeon burgeon and started for utah to quell the 1 mormon rebellion 11 having hailed from the place where president brigham young lived before mormonism found him port byron cayuga co new york and being already acquainted with him by repute from having heard his parents 4 and others talk of hi him m he called upon the president soon after entering the valley anti and was urged by him to make utah his home there was also a relationship lation ship by marriage existing between them the doctors wife then living being a daughter of benjamin angell and cousin to sister mary ann angell young which probably added to the interest Inte they mutually felt in each other the doctor however failed to take president youngs advice but having soon after his arrival in utah been returned to fort laramie with a detachment of troops sent to guard the mat mail line he was there mustered out at his own request to engage in prospecting in the pikes peak region the excitement over gold discoveries co veries there being then at fever heat beat he was successful in this and in the practice of medicine in the mining camps and accumulated before the war broke out lie he then joined a colorado regiment and I 1 marched against general albert syd ney my johnston under whom he haj ha i formerly st arved in the expedition to utah and who was at thit that time in command of ofa a large body of texas rangers new mexico the colorado regiment numbering only 1200 was successful in capturing the advance guard of johnstons Johna tons army consisting of men in the apache paw pass and in stripping them of their arms ammunition horses anti and supply wagons and turning the men b ck afoot with one days rations to make their way to the main body of johnstons forces this had bad the effect of changing the con federate plans and as the doctor claims of saving the union the doctor served through the war was I 1 in n upwards of twenty engagements received three bullet wounds from the effects of one of which he still walks with the aid of a crutch and had his bis skull fractured by a piece of shell shall though thus batt battered erect up he has been very successful since both in his profession and as an inventor and business man for some years after the war he returned to his old home at port byton byron and since again settling lo in colorado has also kept posted by occasional cas ional tonal visits to that place as to its etc he says the memory of brigham young is still cherished by its inhabitants who dwelt there when he did among whom is a mr hodges now about dinty years of age lu in whose saddle and harness shop brigham young worked and became a pretty thorough hand at the business when a young man main he is said to have been at that time quite I 1 ingenious and as an evidence the story is often told of how he established an industry in quite an original manner the wages paid good workmen in th that at region and time did not average more that fifty cents per day and work was not very plentiful even at that rate to keep himself employed he be obtained the use of an old potash kettle fastened it upon the top of a vertical shaft of an old abandoned side wheel mill on the owasco ewasco creek which connects ewasco owasco lake with the seneca river he found a cannon ball on the old battlefield of godus god us bay where it had lodged on a farm when fired by the Britis hers during the war of 1812 he placed this and a boulder in the big iron kettle and by the friction produced by them as the kettle revolved upon the shaft was able to grind in oil a native red pig ment composed of iron kaolin and bitumen bitu meu and make a very durable paint by use of which and by working tor for considerable less than painters usually charged he soon developed quite an industry and was able to earn about seventy five cents per day he contrived to produce two dif different colors one by burning the clay before grinding grin diuK it and the other by using it raw lie he also occasionally mixed the clay with water instead of oil and painted with that for half price such a mixture is known to thin day in port byron as brigham youngs red whitewash two at least of the houses he thus painted patented one of which was built and owned by himself are still standing and the latter to is pointed out as a curl curi dosity the old potash kettle is still preserved also together with the memory of its former use and the mill shaft upon which it stood wax waif kept standing u butil util a few years since the street upon which tiie old residence of president after be had joined the cormons mormons Mor mons Wl and grown somewhat famous became known brown as nauvoo street and in fact that part of the town is also now known as nauvoo while living in port byron brigham young boarded for a considerable length of time with james pine and wife who were familiarly called by the vil villagers lasters uncle and auntie pine and when he left that region he was waa owing them for board between 38 and 39 a considerable sum in those days which he promised to pay when he found himself able to do so and which the old gentleman ex pressed expressed his willingness and ability to wait for as long as necessary as he was then in good circumstances after arriving in utah president young sent bent to mr pine the amount of his indebtedness with ample interest for the period during which he be had owed it and about the time of the breaking out of the war he wrote back inquiring about the old couple this letter was replied to by a young lady neighbor as they had be come too feeble to write and she took it upon herself to explain that they were in very destitute circumstances their property including a large hotel which they had bad built tuilt having been destroyed by fire without being insured the next mail from utah after the receipt of that letter conveyed to uncle and auntie pine accompanied by an autograph letter two fifty dollar postal orders and at least once subsequently a similar amount was sent bent them and received with gratitude by the old couple who never tired during their remaining years of sounding the praise among their neighbors of their geuer ous friend the old gentleman died about 79 and hie wife in 1880 both of them having survived president young dr df allen alien mentioned these circumstances as an evidence of the generosity and high sense of honor and justice which he believed characterized president young throughout his lire life and he was quite prepared to believe it when I 1 expressed the opinion that bothi nothing tig was wad known to in utah not even by bis bi biographer ogra pher of his dealings with the pine jamily ao oily the doctor has in his possession the letters written by president young to mr pine and it intends tends to kee keep them as souvenirs dr allen alien visited visited utah a second time in 1860 and remained there about forty days and again in 1876 shortly before president youngs death during which visits he be renewed his acquaintance with him and formed a friendship which on the doctors part at least still exists G C L MANASSA MANAMA col june 21 1891 |