Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1890-01-11
THE GREAT SHELTER
LEADING FACTS FOR GENERAL IN
FORMATION.
Details of the Important Enterprise
Whtch is Now Under Way-Won-
ierful Extent Of the Cop
per Mines.

per Mines.
Since Great Falls was founded the
conviction was strong that no place in
Montanaiwas so we'll designed by nature
for the reduction of copper ores.
The large volume of the Missouri
at this place, the adaptability Of the cat
aracts and rapids for water power and
the extensive coal fields at Sand Coulee
formed a combination of resources such
as exist no where else in Montana, or
even in the United States.
This ir,aortant fact was discerned last
year by the directors of the Boston s. Mon
tana Consolidated Copper and Silver Min
ing Co. Of Butte, who, after much search
and deliberation, decided that here was
the best place for them to erect smelter
and refinery. The Great Falls Water
Power and Townsite company met their
proposals in liberal spirit and on the
18th of November, 1889, the negotiations
were closed.
TIE SITE OF THE SHELTER.
In accordance with the agreement come
to the Boston s. Montana company ac
quired by purchase tract of about 500
acres on the northwest side of the Mis-
souri,. The river frontage of this tract is
partly above and partly below the Black
Eagle falls, cataract which has width
Of 900 feet, and according to Lewis and
Clarke's accurate measurement, pitch
Of 26 feet s inches.
This Is an ideal site for such an estab-
lishment. In front flows the broad MIS-
souri, in large volume at all times in the
year. The rapids which lead to the falls
have descent of 80 feet from the bed of
the river at Great Falls. The falls them
selves are formed by firm mass of rock,
over which the river flows In regular
and smooth sheet. The banks near by
are firm and well adapted to serve as
strong walls for the dam, which is to be
constructed there. The proposed site for
the smelter Is on the high ground, which
can be readily adapted for the extensive
buildings that are to be constructed
thereon.
AN EXTENSIVE PLANT.
On this site the Boston s. Montana
compa.y will klaaa. .sanalter- buildings of
to reduce a,00O tons Of copper ore per
day. The plant will include crushing
machinery of great capacity, "Cornish"
rollers to reduce the ore to greater fine
ness and concentrators in which the
most recent improvements will be intro
duced. The reverbatory furnaces will be
numerous and will produce matte for
treatment in the refinery which is to
form part of this plant, in which perhaps,
for the first time in the world, copper
will 60 successfully through the treat
ment required to render it pure metal,
| fit for the manufacturer hands in sheets
or ngots In brief, the plant will en-
brace all the machinery, cOncentrators
and furnaces needed to smelt the ore into
matte and refine the matte into ingots. As
the copper ores in the company's mines
contain silver the electrolytic process will
be employed to separate the two metals.
The Manitoba railroad will provide am
pie railroad facilities for the great works.
1t will build five tracks from the main
line to the smelter, a distance of about two
miles. In all other respects, both here
and in Butte, the railroad company viii
take steps to conduct the immense ore
traffic with efficiency and general salts
faction.
These smelling end copper refining
works will add greatly to the population
business and general importance o
Great Falls. The thousands of workmel
at the smelter and other buildings viii
be steady customers of our merchants
who will In turn, be able to offer read,
and remunerative market for the farm
products of the surrounding country.
The works will demonstrate practicall
the industrial capacity Of Great Fall
and do more than the most persuasiv
A arguments, to attract here manufacturer
who are in quest of broad field for incl
u industries. As 1t is the intention OF tn
n Boston & Montana company to foste
: here all branches of the copper indui
b try, important developments may be el
u pected in that respect.
The work of construction will be
g. charge Of Mr.. q. O. Parsons, consultin
l. engineer of the Boston & Montana con
Is pany, who is we'll qualified for such r
sponsible duties.
II THE COMPANY's WONDERFUL MINES.
a. The Boston & Montana company is Of
K of the great mining corporations of Butt
>, ,, About three years ago Captain Thom
q q Couch, in company with Captain DAME
g. of Michigan, examined group of min
ys owned by g. X. Larabie of the Monta
TO Copper company. This group Include
1t. the Mountain View, Colusa, Liquidat
he and West Colusa. The report was
a. favorable that some Boston and NJ
I'D York capitalists formed a company viii
OF acquired these and other extensive mi
es ing properties. Captain Couch, who he
In high rank as a practical mining engine
he of long experience, was appointed sup'
re- intendent. Under his direction mini
at operations have been conducted on a M
he extensive scale. The Mountain vi
ng mine has been opened to a depth of ne
ID " 1000 feet. A writer stated recen
that in the Mountain View, Harris-L Lilo
and Colusa mines alone-all owned
ws the Boston s. Montana company-the
is are at least 1900, 900 tons of ore in sig
nj, to say nothing of the vast amount not
,- opened up. There are, we read, t
are veins on the Mountain View, one no