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 F^ 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 ¥6 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- 



