Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1889-10-16
THE GREAT sMELTER.

tits hest for Butte and Helena and all
Montana cities for that matter, that the
Boston 6 Montana company's smelter and
refinery will be located here. In the
first place, it is important that the COM
pany should'be in position to produce
copper at the lowest possible cost Unless
it does SO, it would be undersold by its
Michigan rivals. In order to smelt cop
per cheaply the company needs an i'm
mense establishment with abundance OF
water and water power and cheap fuel.
1t needs also cheap and ample transpor-
tation. In no part Of Montana are these
conditions combined except at Great
Falls. We have here the great Missouri,
which at this place, has in the driest year,
plenty of water, because there is at the
confluence of the Sun river and Missouri,
a natural reservoir that holds the water
in reserve. Great Falls offers likewise
unsurpassed water power, under such
favorable conditions that itcan be readily
developed. At the Black Eagle falls,
nature has provided stone foundation
that will resist the erosion of tine water.
Unlike the falls Of ST. Anthony at Mime
apols which were saved from destruction
by heavy outlay, the cataracts here are
today as unchanged as when Lewis and
Clark made, IS years ago, measurements
whose accuracy has been confirmed by
the recent surveys. .e.4m.. a. ..... .~.e
AS regards transportation, no place in
Montana could offer such inducements.
From tile mines ut Butte to the water
power here there is already n continuous
railroad, owned and controlled by the
Montana Central AS part of the Great
Northern railway system that railroad is
in a position to make low rates for the
ore from Butte to the works. There is Il
down grade all the way from Butte,
which is about 1900 feet higher than
Great Falls. The same railroad system
is able to forward the refined copper to
the eastern markets and Europe onterms
which will include either lake or through
railroad transportation. The capacity OF
5 the Great Northern system is unlimited
as regards rolling stock. Without any
/ cost to the Boston and Montana company
they will equip the road for the heaviest
traffic which that corporation can pro.
vide. They will form a network o.
track at the works and in all matters OBJ
serve broad, liberal policy.
. From business point of view no bet
ter place could be selected in the interes
of all central Montana Butte will profit
lily the impulse which cheap production
| will give to her mining properties. The
| immense traffic between the two places
i: will enable the Montana Central to carry
, coal from here to Butte at rate so low
that the mines and smelters of the Silve
Bow metropolis will yield larger profit
! than they do at present Butte will b.
linked with the growth of central Mon
T; tana and in many ways will gain thereby
Helena will profit by the new smelte
r because part of the wealth it will diffus'
must flow in that direction. 1t would b
j very inherent II t4C SiIlclltI WCIO ~ VA
y other side of the range. Then the CON
: mercial current would flow in the direc
e ton of the Union Pacific which mean
$ Omaha and Chicago. Helena may reason
}. ably expect to be the mart for the varie
d manufactures that will be produced her
IS in consequence of the improved waite
e power. We expect to doa large whole
5, sale trade ourselves, but Helena mus
y always be an important factor
d the trade of Montana. Her stores ar
e now full of eastern goods. We look col
If fidently for the time when Helena capt.,
e will be freely invested in north Montan
l: factories which will provide home-mad
% hardware and dry goods for her larg
q warehouses We look also for the tin
e when Helena will be linked with til
,e region by large investments in our min
4 which evidently contain bonanzas !
A. great extent.