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Show TOWN ALMOST DEPOPULATED. One rroipermn City at Apen, Colorado, la llelng Ueaerted. A special to tho Salt Lake Herald from Aspen, Colo., says: Tho rccont slump In price of silver Is virtually a disaster to this onco prosperous , city, and has brought great distress to formerly for-merly happy homes. At tho present prlco of tho white mctnl not a mln In tho camp can bo worked nt a profit, nnd almost tho entire population ol tho town must give up old associations, associa-tions, many of thorn of a lifetime nd seek other places to mnko n livelihood. In this exodus, sons, daughters, parents par-ents and children must necessarily bo separated, and there Is grcnt dejection over tho prospect. Every outgoing train carries peoplo who havo forsaken for-saken their homes hero, being unnblo to soil them at any price, to seek work or make a now start in lifo In other sections of tho country. Aspen has been known heretofore as the greatest silver mining camp In tho United States, and nt ono tlmo tho greatest in tho world. Tho city Is situated sit-uated in a pretty valley surrounded by threo huge mountains, which abound In tho white metal which may novcr boo the light of day. During tho bustling bust-ling days of 1SS7 to 1893 Aspen boasted of a population of 15,000, but today scarcely 1,500 remain. After tho panic of 1892-93 nnd until a fow weeks ago, all of the largo properties havo been worked under lenso and tho miners mado a llttlo bettor than wages, whllo silver was between GO and CO cents an ounce. |
