THe Best There Is Is What We Have in Idaho vSpring's^
THE TRUTH
I IS GOOD ENOUGH.
VOL. 2.
FATHER
OF THE
DISTRICT
Col. Francis F. Osbiston
Closes a Career That
Dealt witb Millions.
It is not often that the life of one individual be
comes so closely allied with the history of the suc
cess of a great mining district that his loss is felt as
a loss to all. This was apparently true, however,
in the case of the death of Colonel Osbiston, which
was announced this week as having occurred at
Coolgardie, West Australia, on April 20.
Everyone expressed regret. He was the father
of successful mining in the district. From the great
Freeland, touched by his energy, flowed the rivers
of gold and silver that nourished Idaho Springs in
to life and energy. He was in every sense a build
er. There was nothing in his nature that suggested
the idea of tearing down or retarding. With him
everything must progress and advance.
He was a man who handled millions, associated
with millions, and his great heart was as generous
as the treasures of earth which were tapped through
his energies.
If he had $50 and a friend in need called for it,
it was given. There was nothing that he would
not give.
When he began his career as a mining man he
associated with the great millionaire magnates
, Mackey Flood, Fair and others who could then
count their millions.
Before his advent in Idaho Springs in 1879 a
great deal of prospecting had been done, but no
heavy mining. Himself and associates purchased
the great Freeland of John M. Dumont, and while
he exerted direction over it the mine produced $3,-
300,000. Later he purchased the Whale, Plutus
and pthers and from these veins he took out in the
close neighborhood of $3,000,000. During his op
erations in the district he was responsible for the
taking out of nearly $8,000,000, which went to bless
the district and the entire country.
In his time the Freeland was regarded as the
greatest mine in the state and the ore chute was un
doubtedly the richest ever discovered in the state.
The dav he left Vancouver on his vojage to
Australia, in 1898, to meet his brother, the latter
died. A strange coincidence appears to be follow
ing fate-like, for on the day of his death his wife
and daughter sailed from New York to meet him in
Australia.
The following from a biography of the colonel
which is authentic will be treasured by the people
here who know him so well :
Francis F. Osbiston was born in England, Janu
, ary 23, 1843, being the seventeenth child in a fam
ily of twenty-two children. When 18 years of age
he secured a position as clerk in the London and
(Westminster banlf, where he remained until he was
(21 years of age. In 1864 he came to the United
States as the secretary of an English mining com
pany. Soon after his arrival he located at Reno,
Nev., and later became the confidential agent and
mining expert of the Bank of California, under
Ralston & Sharron, who were then operating a
large number of properties. At the end of three
years the firm of Mackey, Flood, Fair & O’Brien
appointed him superintendent of the Savage mine
of the Comstock lode. In 1879, in company with
Messrs. Mackey, Rosener & Roberts, Colonel Os
qiston purchased the Freeland mine in this county,
where he was installed as manager. He controlled
the Schukill, now a part of the Stanley, for a num
ber of years, selling out his interests there in 1892,
after he had taken out a million dollars in ore.
For many years Colonel Osbiston was a recog
nized leader in the Republican party. He repre
sented Clear Creek county in the state legislature,
serving in the Fourth general assembly. In 1884
he was the presidential elector, and again in
when he cast Colorado’s vote for Harrison and Mor
ton. While living in Nevada he was a member of
Governor Blaisdell’s staff, having the rank of col
onel. Later he held the same office under Govern
[ ors Bradley and Adams, although they were both
- Democrats and he a Republican. While in Colo
3rado he was a member of Governor J. B. Grant’s
[ ;taff. He always maintained a great interest in the
1 welfare of Idaho Springs, having served as a mem
f jer of the town board and the school board several
l times. Colonel Osbiston was a Knight Templar,
taving entered the lodge in Virginia City, Nev. In
871 in Virginia City, he married Miss Francis
Mrs. Osbiston and one daughter, Mrs.
*l|Lackmund, survive him.
New Buildings Going Up.
The four new residences being built in Sunny
c ;ide by the Great Western Investment company are
learly completed and four new ones will soon be
aider way. Mr. Jackson, the barber, is getting
w Igures from the contractors on an eight-room house
uid will have that completed before very long.
C The building era for this year has but fairly opened
jut as predicted last winter it will mean the erec
g ion of several new places of business.
Idaho Springs Siftings.
IDAHO SPRINGS, COLO., SATURDAY, MAY 10. 1902.
Capital Coming Our Way.
6 It is undoubtedly true that few of the people of the district are familiar with 9
g the amount of development work being done in_ the district, and especially are 9
g they unfamiliar with the amount of capital that has been brought in from Colo ■> Q
9 rado Springs, Cripple Creek and Denver. A list of the propositions now
9 way and backed by these parties is interesting ; 0
0 The Omar tunnel, backed by H. A. Riedel & Co., Colorado Springs, up £
0 Fall River. <•>
<§ The Lucania tunnel, backed by Wright, Lily & Co., Colorado Springs. 9
¥ The Anglo-Saxon tunnel, backed by W. R. Foley & Co., Denver and Colo- 0
§> rado Springs. 0
5 The King Edward tunnel, backed by Colorado Springs capital. X
9 The Bertha company, backed by Denver capital. g
0 The Coronation company, backed by Colorado Springs and London capital. 9
0 The Monarch tunnel, backed by Colorado Springs and Eastern investors. 9
A The Donaldson company, backed by Colorado Springs capital. 0
- The Centurion tunnel, backed by Colqrado Springs capital. q
. The Myrtle company, backed by J. H. Pape and the Dorsey Investment A
19 company. ¥
0 The Engle Investment company, backed by Colorado Springs capital. 9
The Gold Cord company, backed by Denver capital. 9
The Russell Gulch company, practically backed by local capital, and a dozen 0
others that might be mentioned. §
All these companies represent the expenditure of hundreds of thousands of x
dollars of capital in the district and nearly every one of them is employing ¥
miners to-day and investing money in the district. S
It is the same force that made Cripple Creek what it is. Stock companies 0
may be tabooed by the people of the Colorado Springs stock exchange, but the g
stock company will win over that method of dealing with properties. It is a day o
of the consolidation of dollars. Hundreds of people put a few dollars each into 0
a big mine and it becomes a producer. It would have been possible to have ac- ¥
complished this same object if one man had been blessed with the same amount 9
n of capital, but he would have shared it alone, while under the stock proposition 9
£ the hundreds share in the profits derived. 6
9 While it is true that too many stock companies spend the money foolishly, 0
9 yet this is not true in the sense it was a few years ago. People at one time in- X
9 vested in anything that talked of gold mining, To-day they inquire who is back ¥
0 of the institution before they invest and if they find responsible parties back of 9
0 a proposition they know they are safe in investing their capital. V
X We have often made the statement in these columns that Idaho Springs 0
¥ would in the next few years be opened up and developed so that she would be- §
9 come a great producer, as Cripple Creek is to-day. 0
9 The list of companies shown in this article establishes proof of the conten- £
§ tions we have made. The same force that worked to make Cripple Creek what ¥
0 it is to-day is now working the same w'ay in this district. It will not be many V
X years until this great impetus is felt. At the present time the capital is being 9
•> applied to development. As soon as the mine upon which the capital has been Q
9 spent becomes a producer it will mean wonders for the district. 0
6 <1
Yankee is Decidedly in Dine.
A. L. Preston, president of the Yankee Citizens
and Miners’ association, was in the city this week
and states that everything is getting in shape for
the best summer in the history of the camp. The
association recently organized has for its purpose
the mutual benefit of every member of the camp
and a majority of the mining men and business
men are members. During the coming summer
meetings will be held at which the needs of the
camp will be discussed and everything accomplish
ed in the way of advertising its resources. Mr.
Preston is enthusiastic regarding the prospects for
Yankee Hill. The people over there are all in sym
pathy with the movement for progress and expect
within the next thirty days to have advertising
matter arranged so that before another winter comes
it will be one of the best advertised points in the
county. “We are getting a fine new road,’’ said
Mr. Preston, “and this will do a great deal for us.
It is my candid opinion that before another year
rolls around the people will realize that Yankee
Hill is a point in which the prospects are brighter
than they are in any other part of the county. We
need capital to develop what we know we have
and as soon as we can get this there will be no
trouble experienced in making a showing that will
push Yankee and Alice right to to the front.’’
Fighting the Smelter Trust.
Engineer Underhill and Manager Goldsmith of
the Seaton have secured one of the “Way Pocket
Smelters,” and are testing and smelting ore in a
most generous way. The little smelter consists of
a little piece of inflamable material that smelts the
ore in about two seconds, and leaves the mineral so
that it can be panned in about the same length of
time, leaving the mineral in the clear quantity.
They are becoming a favorite proposition with min
ing men and prospectors.
First Picnic Party.
A party of picnickers went to Bear creek last
Sunday as the first party of the season. Those
who enjoyed the day were Misses Mayme Lyon,
Lettie Robins, Cora Lamb, Mae Oliver ; Messrs.
Ira and Harry Comstock, Lee Shelp and Walter
Archer.
New Buildings Talked.
It is stated that three or four new bricks are to
be built to take the place of some of the frame bus
ness blocks on Miner street. A large furniture es
tablishment is said to be almost ready for letting
the contracts and others will follow.
Twelve or fifteen new arrivals at the springs
have been registered by Manager Carl this week.
Clark Cleveland Goes Through.
Clark Cleveland, charged with the murder of
Jack Johnson at Empire, passed through the city
on the morning train yesterday. His face is bronzed
and probably for the purpose of effecting a better
disguise he has allowed his chin whiskers to grow.
There was apparently nothing nervous about his
actions and he talked freely of his life while a fugi
tive from justice. But once did the tears well up
in his eyes and that was when he was told that he
was close to the wife and baby.
“Yes, and God knows I want to see them
again !” he exclaimed. “The hard part of dodging
and shying around is to realize that there are loved
ones at home in misery. I could have stood the
trouble I had, but it was pretty hard to stand the
worn' for myself and family.”
“How did they come to get you ?” was asked.
“A man named Northrop, who knew me, gave
the tip while I was in a lumber camp sixty miles
from Kingman. He got SSO, half of the reward.”
“How long was you with your sister in Morri
son?”
“Only a little while. I have been through to
the coast and every place, all the time dodging and
worrying. lam glad it is over with and glad that
lam caught. I will take whatever I get and then
try to redeem myself after it is all over. I have
made up my mind to make the best of it.”
He sat in his seat in the smoker securely hand
cuffed and talked with apparently no idea of con
cealing anything. The worry of his wife and
friends excites him more than anything else, and
in speaking of the future he said : “Whatever they
do can be little worse than what I have already
gone through. All these reports about my being in
hiding at Morrison are foolish and the fellow who
got them up is lying. I was out of this country in
a few hours after I left.”
Deputy District Attorney Smith states that the
preliminary will be held at Georgetown today. The
father of the young man is being held in jail as a
witness. The report that demonstrations are liable
to occur is not believed by anyone.
Another Hustler Added.
Sidney Moritz is giving the people even a better
brand of cigars than he does of insurance this
week, and the latter is always the best. It is a boy,
born last Sunday morning, that weighed nine
pounds and is as pretty as a picture. All doing
well, and Mr. and Mrs. Moritz are being congratu
lated.
THE PEOPLE SAY: j
‘IT’S A GOOD PAPER”!
THREE
DAYS OF
SPORT
Thousand Dollars a Day
Will be Spent for
Entertainment.
It has been finally decreed that Idaho Springs
should lead the list of the cities of the state in one
of the most royal three-day celebrations and tourn
aments to be held in Colorado on the occasion of
the the nation’s birthday.
The committee has made a partial canvas of the
situation and will experience no trouble whatever
in obtaining all the money required which will
probably be in the neighborhood of $3,000.
On Tuesday evening a meeting of the firemen
was held at which committees were appointed and
everything started in the direction of a big celebra
tion. Bert Clute, Sam Brouthers, H. L. Robinson
and R. R. Graham comprise the executive commit
tee and the selection ought to aid materially in
making the celebration a success. It is the inten
tion to have the big event on three days, July 3, 4
and 5, and there will be no surcease of joy.
F. A. Moss was appointed chairman of the com
mittee on transportation with the privilege of ap
pointing his other members to act in conjunction
with him. R. C. Bonney is chairman of the com
mittee on advertising and also has the right to
make the appointments of the remainder of the
committee. City Marshal O’Rourkg will attend to
the arrangement of the places for the various con
tests and other committees will be appointed
later on.
Baseball, double and single handed rock drilling,
the contest with air drills, a meeting of the rifle
and shotgun shots from all parts of the state, the
tournament of races for prizes among the firemen,
fireworks, grand balls and hundreds of other feat
ures will contribute to make it one of the most in
teresting events of the year.
S. A. Knowles will be chairman of the commit
tee on the contest with air drills and the New
house management has kindly consented to furnish
the air for the drills. This will be one of the
unique contests in the history of mining contests,
and all the great drill manufacturing companies are
preparing to ge*. in line for the contest.
While the entire matter is in a sense still in em
bryo, yet there is no doubt regarding the success of
the big celebration. The people are with the boys
and from all parts of the state the wish comes
through the press and correspondence that Idaho
Springs will prepare a great tournament.
Nothing should be left undone to make the af
fair a success. Advertising will lie the secret of the
success of the three-day’s blowout, and if Mr.
Bonney accepts he will make the best possible per
son as chairman of the apvertising committee. As
this paper nas often stated, the proposition should
partake of the nature of a state affair.
Palmer Has a Good String.
The following from the Denver Republican
would indicate that the genial George Palmer, who
lived in Idaho Springs for some time, is gathering
in the sheckels with a fine string of racers and
show horses:
“George E. Palmer of Idaho Springs is dividing
honors with A. E. Ashbrook of Kansas City at the
horse shows throughout the country. A year ago
Mr. Palmer took some interest in the show horses,
and last winter began to gather a stable of the best
of them. A letter received yesterday from Mr.
Ashbrook said that Mr. Palmer had been taking a
great many of the premiums and seemed destined
to take more. The two men are at Dallas, Texas
this week.”
Observing Decoration Day.
Mayor Trathen is especially anxious that the
various lodges and societies shall observe Decora
tion day or that they shall join with the citizens on
that day iu paying tribute to the memory of the de
parted dead. All lodges who desire to participate
should appoint committees at once, so that every
thing will be in readiness by the time the occasion
arrives. There is no reason why Idaho Springs
should not have a celebration of the day.
Returned From Honeymoon.
Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Morton returned Wednes
day evening from their six-weeks trip to the coast
where the honeymoon was spent. For the present
they have not been able to secure a residence, but
will soon be at home, so rumor has it, in one of the
pretty homes of Idaho Springs. The couple was
met at the depot by many friends, and are again re
ceiving the congratulations of the many who know
them in the city.
To New York Monday.
S. M. Smith, the furniture man, leaves Monday
for New York city where he will attend the general
meeting of the national presbytery, to which he
was selected as the Colorado representative. On
his return home he -will stop at his old home in
Rochester and pay a visit to childhood friends.
NO. 2L