Great Falls tribune., 1888-10-20
SOUND TESTIMONY.

Great Falls continues to grow in public
estimation. The good accounts sentfr
here more than Offset the misrepresenta.
tions arising from ignorance or malice,
which sometimes are set afleat on the
journalistic sea. Thus writer in the
Kalamazoo, Michigan, Telegraph bears
testimony to our growth in an excellent
letter, which displays a disposition to be
cr.lcal and sceptical without being pur-
DO ELY unfair In writing of our smelter
the correspondent, who signs himself
"N. L. E." says a great deal in a few
words. He writes:
Large works are being erected here for
smelling silver. They were planned with
re eierence to the mines of the Helena reg
ion 100 miles away, but are likely to get
III mlch OF their business from district
that will soon be opened nearer home
rAis point is in a depression as compared
With most of western Montana, being for
Instance, about 1000 feet nearer the sea
level than Helena. The fact that it is
down hill to the bottom Of the Missouri
basin renders it inexpensive to ship heavy
raw material here from the entire region,
Il factor that settles the location Of much
such business. The smelter above men
tioLed will cost when completed $ 1000,
900. The first section is about ready for
operations. 1t is owned by Anton Eilers
Of the great works at Pueblo, Mayor
| Hewitt, Edward Cooper and Walter Cur
ney, all four gentlemen being residents
of New York and Brooklyn. Contracts
are made out for the erection of still
larger works for smelling copper ore, and
are now in France, awaiting the signature
Of parties at interest there.
A good quality Of steam and coking
coal exists in this locality. 1t has been
tested over a region of about 400 square
miles, Six or eight miles southeast of
| here it is in favorable position for econ
omical mining and will soon be mined
on a great scale, 1900 tons per day, re-
quiring force of 900 to 800 men. 1t Is
being shipped out now on a small scale,
| but machinery for extensive operations is
| going into place as fast as possible. High
grades of both limestone and iron ere ex-
ist in endless quantities near by, very
much as at Birmingham, Ala. Coal, iron
and limestone will make a great manu-
featuring city anywhere. The nearest
silver mines of any importance are &c
miles away. They are low-grade ores
and have not been worked much, although
miners have been holding onto them fol
seven or eight years, awaiting the rail
road, which will reach there from Great
Falls next year.
The greatest exports from this place
are cattle and sheep, the Great Falls
stock yards sending out several trains d
day of each. The wool business opened
here this year with shipments Of 1000,
900 pounds the first season. Beef-pack
ing houses and, later, woolen mills, are
interests that must follow the advantages
offered here.
Regarding our origin and rallroac
growth, the letter says:
Great Falls is one Of the points that In
fluenced President Hill, the controlling
spirit of the Manitoba lines, In his plan.
for occupying Montana. The stories
about the place are on so large scale
that its friends and interested partie
have almost become modest about offer
ing them to an incredulous world, but thu
facts are beginning to speak for them
selves The railroad company is making
the town great point in its plans. 1t il
the present terminus of the road, but thu
company is understood to be taking mea
sures for pushing through to the Pacifi
coast before long. The Montana Cen
trail, practically branch of the Manitoba
has been built nearly year, runnin!
southeasterly to Helena and Butte. An
! other road is almost partially built south
reaching the coal developments now ant
awaiting to finish its completion to TIL
Belt range. Three roads are a prett
good start for a town which had none
year ago and was not in existence itsel
two years ago.