388 Reminiscences of 



for a day and a half. Altogether our train waited 

 for the repair of over twenty breaks, on our way to 

 Colorado. 



The selection of route by this railroad was an un- 

 fortunate one, which has cost the company many 

 millions and will continue to be costly in the future 

 during seasons of flood, until a radical change in 

 route occurs. 



While in Santa Fe" upon my first return from Deming, 

 a friend of mine from New York, Mr. Ballou, arrived 

 there, accompanied by General U. S. Grant, for the 

 purpose of visiting a somewhat famous copper mining 

 district, forty miles southwest in the Sandia Moun- 

 tains, known as the Canon del Agua. I was invited 

 to accompany them, which I did. I had previously 

 arranged with Captain Slawson, a mining expert 

 in my employ, and his assistant to meet me at the 

 Mexican town of Bernalillo on the Rio Grande be- 

 yond the district to which Mr. Ballou and General 

 Grant were going. So this district was on my route, 

 and I had several days to spare. We made the jour- 

 ney comfortably in a day with a government ambu- 

 lance wagon, drawn by four mules, furnished from the 

 military station at Santa Fe" to the General. 



We made our residence at the mines in the house 

 of the mining superintendent, where accommodations 

 had been prepared for us. I remained here for three 

 days. General Grant having been President of the 

 United States for two terms, and having rendered 

 distinguished service to his country, was in conse- 

 quence a most important man, and had been sought 

 for by some parties interested in the mining property 

 we were visiting, to take the presidency of a com- 



