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4/16 of… 1859

Denver, CO recorder John Scudder and Auraria, CO treasurer Peleg Bassett end their long time friendship with the final confrontation in their disagreement over the virtues of their respective communities. Bassett went after Scudder with a pick handle and Scudder shot him in the chest. Bassett lived about eight hours and Scudder left town.  {001}

1866

Dutch Flat, near San Francisco, CA; builders for the Central Pacific Railroad, Charles Crocker and James Harvey Strobridge test nitroglycerin as a replacement for black powder during the construction of the Summit Tunnel. The test is a great success and in spite of the deaths of many Chinese workers, it is eventually used until the advent of dynamite. Nitro materially aids in the completion of the Trans-Continental Railroad. But the fallout from the rest of the nitro shipment is catastrophic…  {001}