, 1890-11-20
.SP0KANE'S SHELTER
1t Is Now Rapidly Nearing
Completion.
A VISIT TO The SITE
A Description of the Buildings
and tho Plan of Operation
Spokanes Advantages.

iNeuuCtioh S"hp p"hyt hNV hi'So
northwest of the city, on the Spo-
kane river, are now approaching
completion, and the people of Spo-
kane Falls and the miners of this
entire region will be interested in
learning something of the plant
that has been erected and of its
capacity to treat our gold, silver
and lead ores.
Spokane cried long time for
smelling works. In few weeks
she will have them. The next thing
Is to watch the result. a company
was formed in the East to under
take the enterprise, and Spokane
was not asked to subscribe farth-
ing to the capital stock of 81 900, 900.
We contributed indirectly by guar
anteeing the cost of the five miles of
railroad that has been built from the
line of the old Seattle, Lake Shore
Il Eastern to the site of the smelling
works. This is all, aud SO far this
guarantee has not cost dollar and
can not possibly do 80 for year and
II half, probably not then, nor at any
time thereafter. 1t is the biggest
thing we have ever had come to
this city for which we have not been
asked to contribute so much actual
cash. 1t had its birth and origin in
the belief that this city is a natural
and artificial smelling center and Is
"a astrictly legitimate business propo-
sition.
Now, as to what has been done.
First, the company has been organ
lied In New York with Colonel r.
q. Iugersoll as president, Mr. James
II. Breslin as vice presidentaud Mr..
j. n. Baker ms secretary. Practical
operations here were entrusted to
Mr.. Frederick Burbidge. The
work of construction began last syn-
mer and has gone on uninterruptedly
ever since. The construction of tue
railroad was begun under the direc-
ton of the Union Depot Company
about the same time. The grading
was completed several weeks ago.
The ties arc now on the ground, the
rails are ready, and the track will
soon be down. A train could be
sent to the smelter site in two weeks,
IL there were no delay in putting
down the rails.
The Reduction company have
erected eleven or twelve buildings
altogether. There Is building for
the roasting furnaces 70x0O feet In
size; ore bins 30x50 feet; sampling
house BOX go feet; coke storage house
4Ox50 feet; charcoal storage 40x50
feet; three bedding floors 40x4O
feet each; charging iloor and
furnace room 3Ox60 feet; blower
house 25x8o feet; engine and boiler
room 25X3O feet; blacksmith and
carpenter shops 20x50 feet; general
Office building 22x3S; tank build
ing, capacity 10000 gallons.
There are two watcr,jncket blast
furnaces aud two reverberatory
roasting furnaces, the latter being
seventeen feet wide and seventy
five feet long. There are two Root
blowers, one 100 horsepower engine
aud two boilers, lixG0 feet each.
There are two smoke stacks, one l2O
feet high and about twenty feet
square at the base, the other one, n
smaller one, seventy feet high, and
n dust chamber li0 feet long. There
is the necessary crushing machinery,
a single piece of which weighs
nearly ten tons, and all the other
equipments belonging to smelling
works of the latest design.
The railroad runs Immediately by
The ore bins on one side and by the
roasting furnaces on the other. The
works have been built on gradual
decline so that the ore Is taken
down to the blast furnaces by grav.
ity, thus avoiding much expense
by handling. Mr.. ID. G. Corbin,
who recently visited the works,
stated that the location was the
most convenient and best for smelt-
ing purposes he had ever seen. The
river runs about fifty yards to the
west, while to the east. about 500
yards, Is II high hill or bench, Gov
cred with u scattered growth of pine.
The site Is not only convenient
one for the business designed to be
carried on but very attractive one
10 the eye.
From the hill to the east. the
works present u very business-like
appearance and when they are in
full operation and the railroad Is
running trains to and fro, the inter-
est OF the scene will be still further
heightened.
1t IL to be hoped that there has
here been founded the most impor-
tant industry Of this city. The be-
ginning made is certainly u good
prophecy of the future.
1t will not be inappropriate to re-
count here some of the salient ad-
vuntages of Spokane Falls as a
smelling center.
Flrst--It Is the local point Of a
system of railroads that now extend
to all the ore producing districts In
this region, with one or two excep-
tions.
Second-Generally speaking 1t
will cost 70 per cent. less TO ship the
ores of our mining districts to Spo-
kane Falls than to any other smelt-
ing point worth consideration.
Third--Our lead ores are now
shipped to eastern smelters.
Roughly speaking, four tons of ore
that carries 20 per cent. of lead will
produce one ton of bullion. There
fore, instead of shipping four tons
OF ore to our eastern market we Will
ship one ton of bullion, thus saving
heavy freight charges.
l. -IAA