Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1888-01-18
CATARACT MILL.
MONTANA WHEAT GROUND BY
MONTANA VATER-POWER.
The Pioneer Mill of Northern Montana
---Great Falls as the Future
Seat of the Milling
Industry.

metropolis. She has made good begin
ming in her Cataract mill, which, by a
happy coincidence bears the name of a
pioneer mill at Minneapolis. This fine
mill stands On the Missouri, at the foot of
Central ayenue. 1t is equipped with the
best machinery, which is moved by the
rapids Of the Missouri, and produces flour
of the highest quality. 1t has four
brands of high grade flour which are
well known and we'll liked in Montana
markets. These are, "Diamond,' "Cata-
ract," "GoId Dust,' and "Silver Leaf"
The officers Of the company are II. O..
Chowen, president; Preston King, vice
president; and F. B. Wilcox, secretary
and treasurer.
Regarding hard wheat, the new pro-
cess of milling, and the bright prospects
of Great Falls as the chief seat of the
milling industry, the Tribune has gath
cred some interesting details from
Messrs Chowen, Wilcox and their staff.
THE REVOLUTION.
1t appears that prior to the introduction
of the roller system Of milling into this
country the incentive to produce hard
wheat was slight because by the old stone
process soft wheat could be ground as
profitably as any other. The introduction
of the Hungarian process by the Mime
apolis millers changed the relative value
of the two kinds of wheat, causing the
hard to experience a decided boom.
:. By the new process as employed at the
Cataract MILL the bran or covering of the
grain is rendered tough by gentle
heating. The grain is then passed be-
tween steel rolls, which are just placed
far enough apart to crack the kernel. In
/, thus cracking the grain particles of fine
and coarse -four escape. The fine flour
is bolted through fine cloth to separate it
from all impurities. The coarse sub
stance called "middlings'' is sent to the
! purifier which separates the flour from
) the bran and coarse substances therein
At the Cataract mill the wheat is passed
through successive rollers, becoming
finer at each successive crushing until
finally only the outside of the kernel is
left. As the result of this process which
involves great care and sound judgment
large per centage of high grade flour is
produced, while by the old method OF
grinding wheat between stones the guam
tity of superior flour was less owing te
the rapid reduction of the grain. The
, Minneapolis millers who were the first te
adopt the new system, made large sums
of money by their success in obtaining
this large proportion of high grade f1oul
, from the wheat. In time, the process be
, bame widely known, and Great Falls is
now on par with any city
in the excellence of it's mil
machinery.
THE NEW WHEAT BELT.
Now arose the demand for hard wheat
which would not pulverise at once into
flour but would go through each stage ot
the process with certain degree of in
tactness, so to speak. Southern Min
nesota became in popular estimation the
coming granary of the world. But the
pioneer farmers pushed northward into
, the Red river valley, whence, after much
success in wheat growing, the advance
guard moved westward and by cultivat
} ing Daknta--the northern part of the
| "Great American Desert''-made it the
great hard wheat granary of the world
, Being still unsatisfied, farmers continue
t in quest of the ideal hard wheat country
: Marching ever westward, the advance
guard Of the grain-growers have foune
here in northern Montana the permanent
hard wheat region of the world has beer
found. Here stretching eastward from
the base of the Rocky mountains are al
the conditions of climate and soil com
bined in a region abounding in great nat
ural resources. As in Dakota, the rain
fall will be more abundant as this won
. derfully rich soil is more largely
cultivated This will increase the
present enormous yield of grain
These bench lands were regarded
at first with distrust, as in Dakota, and
are now found to be the best in the world
for grain growing. This is proved con,
clusively by wheat, as fine as the world
ever saw, which was raised last year in
this vicinity. Such wheat enriches the
farmer because it commands the highest
price, and it delights the miller, because
it produces the highest grade of flour.
The coming of the Manitoba railroad
will effect marvellous change in this
new wheat belt. The demand for hard
wheat lands will increase. and before
many years the traveller viii see in this
vast region, which is the garden spot Of
Montana, almost measureless fields of
waving wheat, yielding enormous crops