The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-03-24
SUPERIOR'S SUPERIORITY.
The Steel Plant that is to go in
Here---HOW the Enterprise
was put into Being.
From the Daily Inter-ocean of Monday.

iHSio VIII arrive III west superior THIS morn
ing Mt George 5. Baxter and Manager wemyss
OF Lac Land ~ River company, accompanied by
Mr. " T. Mates, the engineer OF the future Iron
and Steel company of West Superior The visit
OF Mr.. Baxter who is at present assistant treas
urer Of The Northern Pacific railroad company
with headquarters at st. Paul aud Mr. Mates. at
TINS time Is FOR the purpose of selecting upon the
ground IA suitable site for the future works Ii
VIII OF course be located al point between
the base of Corners Point and the st. "aul & Du-
luth bridge, and where both rail and water tran
-sportation facilities lie had at once The To-
cation Is matter of minor imp )rtance. Ifit
were 10 90 lack as far rs pokagama bay, its vast
benefits would be fully realized by Superior as
as II 1t were 10 be on Tower Slip The principal
thing is the actual existent fact that the Iron and
Steel works of West Superior is All assured thing
and on very large scale This has been one of
the Instances in which the mills ofthe gods have
ground slowly, but they ground with unerring
certainty. And IL is II simple veritication of
what the lnterOcean has always asserted, that
The larger Interests of Superior are IN remarkably
able aad competent hands
In the Pioneer Press of Saturday We iud the
following reference to the sntrance OF the North
ern Pacific railroad into Superior
On December H. 1881, the Northern Pacific
reached Superior City, ana characteristic dis
patch sent by Duluth newspaper correspondent,
who WAS evidently very partial 10 lhe Zenith City
and Eoi disposed 10 be very complimentary 10 Su-
psror. Contained the following: "Vice President
Cakes and party arrived in Superior about noon
today, the first train that ever entered the city
OF many disappointments. Superior people are as
much rlated small boy with II Christmas pres
ent. The greatest enthusiasm prevail d, and
speeches wee made OF Wee President OakeS Mr.
Saunders Judge Cough and other distinguished
gentlemen. The uain consisted Of mn express,
baggage aad passenger CIR. Supcriorites at last
feel that they are connected with the rest of the
world" dispatch from Superior City COM
meHtei Oh this cheerful event follows To
day WIS observed as holiday here, and every man
woman and child III superior and many from Du-
luth were present at the court house grounds 10
meet the first train into Superior As it approach
cd cheer after cheer rent the air. handkerchief
~cre waved aud the church ard school bells in
cheerful tones answered tho locomotives loud and
prolonged whistle"
Taere is much more to this than appears on the
surface, or is generally apprehended by the PEG
pie of Superior, who gave literally of Gods patri-
mJIy Qand) TO secure the road to their town mot
wlthaianiinS Il Duluth newspaper to the con
Iraryl. Bat u railroad Of itself never bult town
aad for seYcra! years there has been crimintaion
AID recrihlill.ion between the road oiti .ias and
the cit zeus OIL the question Of what hiti been
promised t. the road and which III neither party
Was altogether TO blini. Bat the coming of the
Northern Paci!c brought to the head OF the lakes
men who could not fail to recognize the strategic
a. value of this peninsula for trade and commerce.
And after thoroughly exploring the situation II
WAS found that all that portion bordering on the
ii. louis River and Bay was In state of nature
that Is, mail had not damned ii with excessive
adulalion-had not doomed or planted it. With
what CELEBRITY they could, they purchased large
portion Of the land, and laid the foundation Of u
city. OF the parties interested in this move Mr..
K. L. Bclk.Iap, treasurer OF of The Northern Paci
fc, and AIR. f. IL. Weeks, an eminent New York
lawyer and Capitalist were the leading spirits,
and are to-day s. That the connection is obvious
between the coming Northsin Pacific and the
coming greatness Of Superior.
From Mrssrs BE kaap a.td Weeks the influence
and interests OF the Land and River Improve
ment Company spread into the hearts of the lead
i,Is railroad corporations OF the Northwest with
the exception Of Milwaukee,. James j. Hill, T.
". Winter, +. b. Clarke, +. b. WdkeIalI and
FTed.ick Billings have all taaca Il n!o4eyed IN
tefest III the place a.ii the company. George 5.
Baxter ana x. J. Htmyss both repres N, North
ern Pacific ilaue zee aaI Interests Sir. Nemyss
leaving; "a lani uepA:tin III. Of .hc road To b.
come manager OF the Laai Company.
I But the CONNECTION has gone farther still. None
Of these gc'.t!emUn were biini 10 The enormous
value OF Lake superior iron ores. And it has
been some hat of hobby with Nh Baxter
the studying OF the problem OF cheap fci at this
p ace for the smelling Of ores, He has made a
,l.-N E I'll. .f,...
] eaTths surface to The underlying strata, and
While h. has f,uIi but little to encourage him
that either Goa! natural gas will be found near
here has acquired u vast fund OF practical infOr
ati.n o.. the iron and steel question; and some
time ago lie reached the same conclusion regard
ing Superior that Andrew Curnasic recently
reached concerning Chicago namely, that il could
make steel and uuie?sell Pit!sburg i'll all the
here account of the gigantic preparations
made by the several railroad aud coal companies
for he milling ut this place the coal for al the
Northwest.
| When, therefore, it became apparent that the
railroad development of tue Northwest he'd final
iy found its light tend, and was centering with
somewhat of ferucity at the head ithc lakes, Mr.
Baxter aud Hr. Nemyss, of course after much
correspondence Oh the subject, shortly after the
the FIST of january III this year v-nt to New
York, and the question Was taken up at the an
nual meei ing af the stockholders OF the Land
Com, any, of whether II steel and iron company OF
considerable dimensions could not DE organized.
When these gentlemen left New York about $500,
coz had been guaranteed for such u purpose by
the individual members OF the Land company
K l.. Belknap, James J. Hill, F. II. Weeks and
4. J. Wemyss being among the heaviest sJbscrib-
e-B.
Negotiations were ut once opened with very
heavy capitalists and practical iron men in New
York and Philadelphia, which finally eliminated
Il short time since in guarantee OF the full pro
posed capital of 81 800 90 for the enterprise. No
blowing has been done no excessive assurances
have been given out the Land Company has
simply gone ahead in its silent way and .auiz-
ci a manufacturing company Zig and as veal
thy Is itsef AMI proposes now to put into the
field the practical evidences of It's financial! opcr-
ation-tae surveyor. the horses and and
ploYS AMI Construction force.
The plans for III. buildings To be erected this
summer are not YET omDletei, bus they will con-
prise the foundry casting room where all the
chirery will be lie for The steel plant: and the
blasting furnaces where the vii be reduced to
pig or steel iugcts. The ground, however; will be
is out Of the ground a large force of men and
texans will be put TO wo clearing up aud leveling
the ground, which. with heavy clay
is no snail matter. The entire WORKS, wleu com
pletci Will cover upward, Of twelve acres of
ground, vii! require one large ore and coal dock
for lis own use and will finally employ about one
tEouiand eight hundred men. The works to be
completed this year alone will employ upwards of
400 men, and give employment outside t. half ~
many more. The Strotasm Bros. will have IL long
OBJ finishing the machinery FIR the works, but
little Of which VIII be imported from abroad. Two
years will probably complete the plant. which
will cost about 81 5000 the other 81 ooD,ol Of the
capital stock being necessary as working capital
to so large an establishment,
II is worthy of note in connection with this en-
teFprise that in the midst Of the town sit c boom
50 prevalent in the Northwest, by means of fic-
tcious enterprises that it has been with the ut
mnst diff Guilty that the Inter Ocean has been en-
nblcd to get at the inside facts so 81 to present
them to the public and say this is So But that