The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-12-22
VEST SUPERIOR COKE.
a New Fuel In the Northwest that -
destined 10 Reduce Expenses, sofh
In Factory aud Household.


In Factory aud Household.
WEST SUPERIOR, Dee. SIN three
years time this place has sprung, Jove-
like, full armed, into existence, a city
+ of 900 people. The cemetery of the
dead pines has in that time been dis
placed by the products of the saw mills
the carpenters, the brick maSonS and
these products are the indicia of a me-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. docks, business
+ houses and dwellings anu railroads
! such IS can only be found elsewhere
/ in cities Of from 80, 600 TO 30, 900 popu-
: lation The Omaha road, the st. Paul
/ 4 Duluth, the Northern Pacific, and
/ the Eastern of Minnesota. have put III
4 vast yards here-eertain indications OF
/ immense transfers to and from the
4 great waterways leading TO tide water.
/ This point, with Its magnificent natur-
al storm breaking, penlnsular piers, IS
/ the final point of meeting of the great
inland seas, with those great ground
ships, the locomotive and the box car,
Of the west and northwest.
\ gentleman prominent in the bust
ness world of St Paul recently gave
current to the observation that the
peninsula upon which West Superior
is posed was moulded by Providence
with supreme forethOught a kind of
| Gods palm radiating railroad fingers
across half continent, and sending
our ships Tor arteries to the heart OF
world. He thought that not possibly
| could there have been created a tract
OF land better adapted, both by land
and sea, for the transfer OF commercial
articles, from rail to ship, or ship to
rail, or rail 10 rail, all these al lbitum.
The lehigh coal company were of
the first to break ground for improve
mentS, on the south side of the St
Louis bay, at this place. Their Judge
ment was seriously questioned by
many, the impression being that Du-
luth was the natural and proper place
for their docks, and they built some
what III the face OF public opinion at
the time, making 1t matter OF courage
for them to proceed to eXpend Il large
amount of money on this virgin shore.
where no Ship OF any depth Of hold had
ever landed. But three years have
justified them i'll their choice of locat-
ion, by the building up of a large coal
trade The growth OF the Lehigh has
been the growth of " est Superior, of
both which the people here are justly
proud. They think that the Lehigh
has demonstrated that this place lays
over any other point on Lake Superior
in all regards, for the Lehigh has come
to the front as fast as providence or
dinarily permits. Easy grades and
ample trackage are already making
West Superior famous shipping port,
and the Lehigh has been a large in
strumentality in the work. The East
ern Minnesota alone has tracks for lS,-
600 cars, and docks for i25, 600 barrels
of flour and leo, 600 tons of coal. The
Omaha and Northern Pacific as much
more. y vast amount of siXteen-fOOt
dredging was done here this season.
This IS TO be the great seaport OF the
Northwest, and the Lehigh is the
foster parent of its magnificent coal
traffic. Every inch Of Minnesota, half
of Iowa, and two thirds of Nebraska
are nearer here than to Chicago. The
Lehigh people saw this three years ago
and they built here a dock that is oyer
one mile around it.
No expense has been spared, nor
sand either, III making their plant
here the best in the world. In view Of
facts this is not an exaggerated stated
ment, for their machinery moves with
intelligence and rapid precision, and
its capacity for handling coal CLEARLY is
putting the Chicago coal dealers to eX-
tremities to meet this competitor The
Lehigh have fifty acres OF land here,
giving them both great docks and track
storage room. But the company do not
stop at coal " 18th characteristic energy
they haye met the cheap fuel question
and vanquished big coal bills.
This year they have built in the rear
of their dock a mode bank of fits coke
ovens. All coke in the West has here
tOfOre come all the WAY from the East
by rail, rs it does not bear transhipmen
well. and is too bulky for profitable
lake carriage. The Lehigh by this en-
terprise is solving u very serious pro
hlam. \ cable road carries the coal from
the dock to the ovens. From the ovens
it is taken as coax and shoycled directly
into the cars or put through the crush
er. The cruSher coke is Of various sizes,
comparing with chestnut, egg and stove
of the anthracite, and Is for domestic
uses. 1t has many advantages for that
purpose over coal and is being rapidly
appreciated here. Coke is simply the
crystalliZed carbon of coal, 1t is clean,
makes no smoke or SCOT, and gives ont
fierce but il2meleSS heat. 1t cost less
per ton than anthracite and will 80 as
far as ton and Il third Of coal. II is light
and easily handled. 1t can be used to
advantage with small anthracite or
screenings. 1t completely solves the
smoke nuisance question, when used
with soft coal, as it consumes the smoke
as so much fuel It viii save from one
third to one-half of the fuel bills of the
people of the cities when 1t shall have
been generally adopted, and the Lehigh
is entitled to the credit of introducing
it. Mr.. Lewis, the vice president of the
company, and who is a resident of this
place, is enthusiastic over the Lehigh
being the pioneer in the cheap fuel bust
ness, and says he has no doubt that his
company viii build 80 more ovens here
the coming year. This, of course, means
increased capital and business for Vest
Superior. Fuel at the rate Of $ per
ton for anthracite cannot be Winked at
/ indiflierently; even as far south as
Kansas and Missouri. Montana smelt-
ers viii yawn for it, as these ovens VIII
save them 800 miles of rail transp0r-
tation.-WeSt Superior Correspondent