Butte semi-weekly miner., 1888-01-14
THE SHELTERS.
o-..@ Raduction Works to be Built at
Various Montana POints-Where Ihey
Will be Located and Why.

Great Reduction Works to be Built a
Various Montana Points-Where They
Will be Located and Why.
The Helena Journal has discovered tina,
Benton's smelter story was pure lnven
ton, and doubts are cast upon the state
ment that mammoth establishment o.
that kind is to be built at Great Falls. but
the latter is true. 1t was never Intended
to build town there without smelter
and a big one 1t is to be on the plan o.
the Swansea works, and OF sufficient ca
pacity to handle all the ores OF Montana
and adjacent Territories. large proper
ton of which will be transported on barges
on the canal that is to be cut across the
Rocky Mountains from the head OF Sun
River to Flathe4d Lake. Then Livingston
is to have a smelter which will have plenty
to do smelling the ores near at hand IN the
eulches of the Upper Yellowstone and in
the Castle Mountain District. which is soon
to be connected with Livingston by branch
railroad Livingston offers great advan
tapes for such works, not only in its prox
unity to "A couple of rich mining districts
but also because OF the
COAL AND COKE
that is produced near the town. Then
Frederick Billings, Heman Clark, and sew
eral other wealthy New Workers, are goIre
to erect tremendous reduction works at
Billings, which is very favorably situated
for handling the ores Of the Saltwater,
Cooke City Maiden, Barker, and other dis
tricts. In 1881, before the misunderstood.
ing between Mr. Clark and General Ander-
son, those gentlemen. with Col. Clough, Col.
Pike Chief Assistant Mason and several 9th
er officials OF the Northern Pacific. formed a
mining and prospecting company, for the
purpose Of discovering and developing mines
at the head OF Clarke's Fork. jay Cooke,
from whom Cooke City was named, alway 8
had great confidence in that district and
impaired some Of his enthusiasm to most
of the Northern Pacific people. Colonel
Pike. when stationed on the site OF the
present city of Billings in the fall OF 1881.
represented the mining, as well as the rail-
road company and accumulated number
of specimens of ore from Cooke City and
the Boulder to submit to the other mem
bers in the East.
THE NEXT SPRING
Charley Simmer was SenG Out TO prospect
for the company, and he made number
OF loca tions, including lofty granite peak
in the Bear Tooth range, which still bears
the name of Simmer Mountain. 1t was
then the intention to build a railroad up
Clarke's Fork. and smelling works at Bill
lings, but for reasons already mentioned,
the project fell through. Col. Pike and Mr..
Clark were greatly disappointed. and the
former turned his attention to hydraulic
mining at Chico. Poor Col. Pike died just
as he got his big hydraulic plant into good
working condition, ard Col Clough followed
him two years later Heman Clark is the
only member left of the original company.
but bis wealth and influence are much
greater than they were in 1881, and he has
come back to his pet scheme OF old, with
company OF millionaires who are deter
mined to build the railroads, first south
vest to Cooke City and the Rock Greek coal
field and then northwest TO Benton. with
branches running into all the tributary
camps. They will erect great reduction
works beside the water power at Billings,
and having coel, iron, limestone, and all
grades OF ore in abundance, they will make
a grand success OF it.