Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1889-07-13
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
~ THE NuRTTFU EST.
'SPuK NNE FALLS. WASHINGTON.
.ImlY |, lSSl.

between 10000 and 10000 people. II
is located in and around "LaSt Chance
gulch, one of Montana 5 richest placcls
of nearly three decades ago. II can
hardly be embraced in single sweep
of the eye, save perhaps from Mt. He
lena, on the southern side of the city
There are many fine buildings and
beautiful residences i'll the place, and
an air of business ease and elegant
comfort pervadcs the community. The
placers, now quite exhausted, lin many
instances, have given plac" III value
as as gold and silver producing ground
to vet richer estimation as real estate
holdings for building purposes. They
have produced millions of dollars of
the precious metals, and they are worth
vet more rs bases for the homes of the
people.
We had the good fortune to meet s.
c. Ashby, Il native of Virginia, who
has made a great fortune in Helena.
Behind his fine team of sorrelS the city
was traverSed from side to side and
end to end. Our drive took in the
great resort to be known a. the "Hotel
Broadwater and Natatorium," now
approaching completion. The hotel
beauty and convenience the best mod
crn development in that line. The
bath-housr is $50 300 feet. which af-
fords an artificial plunge the widest
and longest on the globe. Both hotel
and natatorium will be abundantlv
supplied by the Helena Hot Springs. a
prot,lsc natural fountain of water hot
enough to cook an egg, Il short distance
away. This stream will be conveyed
in large bored wood pipes. non-conduc-
tors of heat and buried below the frost
line. The proprietor, c. \. Broadwa-
ter, will eXpcnd f215, 900 in this enter
prise, and as the water is curative of
many diseases, it will be alike sum
NOR and winter resort of national re-
pute and of immense local value to
Helena.
In the mercantile line Mcssrs. Ashby
and Broadwatcr are partners. but both
have separate interests which make
each immensely rich. Mr.. Ashby
counts varying hundreds of feet front
age at varying hundreds of dollars per
foot, all still steadily growing in value.
With constant and unlimited faith in
Helcna'S : future he has lived to see his
confidence richly verified. Still com
parativcly Il young man, he naturally
expects to have his holdings continue
to grow in his hands. AS guest in
his magnificent mansion for all the
time we could give him, we found his
hospitable wife one of the best of the
better sex.
In Mr.. Ashby's employment we met
an ante -Frostburg acquaintance-Phil-
ip II. Swan, who, we We're gra titled to
learn. is doing dcservcdly V well in west
ern life and work.
The talk in and around the hotels is
mainly "Spokane," the Montana flyer
on the race track. The people inter
ested in the production of the precious
metals and live stock, naturally make
the stranger tired of the eternal sound
of quartz" loads" "bunch grass" "
and "cattlc." But one conversation
reported by Mr.. AShby, we must give.
Two Colorado men, sitting together,
indulged comparison of notes as to
the respective precious metal outputs
in 1883 Of Colorado and Montana. The
talk was based upon an official publ
cation which gave, in round figures,
Colorado credit for $50, 200, 900, and
Montana $35, 200, 900. The statement
was implicitly diScrcdited by one say
ing and the other asserting to the fol-
lowing:
"Well, don't see how il can be true,
for have been through Montana and
| would not give 5000, 900 for all the
property up there :"
A stranger sitting near interrupted 4:
"Gentlemen, may ask question OF
two concerning the subject of your
talk ! am II Montanian, and your
language CRATES harshly on my ears. y
"Certainly, sir; ask all the questions
YOU please"
"Well, the statement published Is
official ism il ?"
"Yes, sir; il purports to be-"
"Well, $4,000, 900 more in Montana
in one year than in Colorado is some
thing, isn't it ?"
Eyes, sir"
"Very good. Now, has not Monta,
ma the largest silver,producing min,
in the world-thc Granite Mountain y
"Yes, sir"
"Well, that is something, too, isn't
it ="
"Yes, sir"
$50 far 50 good. But what really
want to know, gentlemen, is--that hav
ing the largest silver output, the great
est silver-producing mine, the biggest
1