, 1890-09-25
A BRIGHT OUTLOOK.
An Encouraging Condition of
the Kootenai Mines.
BIG Smell TER FOR WARM SPRINGS
@. b. Best 20 Test His New Pat
ent for Smelling and Re-
fning Ore.

WARM SPRINGS, Nootenai Dis
trict, u. c., Sept. lS. The chief sub
ject of public attention here for the
past week has been a new smelter
proposition. Hope that the Cana
dian Pacific branch railroad from,
Nelson to Columbia river would be
completed before navigation closed
this fall had about died out, and
with 1t all prospects that DIR. Camp
bell would be able to start up his
smelter at Revelstoke before spring.
Those who could do so were prepar-
ing to go "outside" for the winter,
and the exodus has begun In some
degree, when the arrival last week
Of n party of gentlemen from Spo-
kane Falls set the whole camp on
the very tiptoe of expectation. This
party consisted of Mr.. g. j. Best,
representing the Washington Smelt.
ing and Refining Company of Spo.
kane Falls, Mr.. Bowen and son
and Mr.. w. Ii. Lynch, all of the
Falls City, the latter gentleman ex.
tensively interested in Warm
Springs. The purpose of Mr.. Best's
was to secure an opportunity to
make II practical working test OF
certain patedted inventions of his
own connected with the process OF
smelling ores, and that of the other
gentlemen was TO aid him In vari.
Gus ways.
There were three conditions
which Mr.. Best required should be
favorable before he would undertake
the erection of his plant. There
must be guaranteed a sufficient
quantity of smelling ore for ut least
IL trial run Of u smelter with Il daily
capacity of twenty-five tons-say
800 tons.
Secondly, the ores should be of a
character sufficiently varied and
difficult of treatment to demonstrate
beyond doubt that the inventors
very radical innovations i'm the
science of smelling were equal to
the somewhat colossal task of over
turning long-established and ac-
cepted theories. The reader who
knows anything of the details of
smelling or the prejudices and diff
culties which confront the icon
oclast In that realm will not object
to my use OF the adjective colossal.
Thirdly, a suitable site for the
plant must be provided-no slight
problem of itself, when 1t is remem-
bered that almost all of Dame Ma
ture's face in this section is de-
cidedly on edge.
This was all that Mr.. Best asked
on behalf of his company. He pro-
posed to pay all the necessary ex-
penses without any outside aid, and
imposed no conditions beyond those
contained in the above. The min
ing men promptly recognized the
importance of Mr.. Best's mission,
and the fairness of the proposition.
In plain terms, they saw that his
success meant u new state of affairs
in the camp; his failure would find
only him and his company the
losers.
AS regarded the first condition-a
supply of ore-it was found to con-
tulh fluCi lloIe uliilCulty titli
would at first appear, when the
number of claims with ore on the
dump and in sight Is considered.
A conservative estimate places this
number at no less than sixty. That
is to say, sixty prospects where min
eral is found in quantity sufficient
to at once furnish profitable out
put were the conditions of trans
portation and treatment favorable.
Indeed the display at the Spokane
Exposition will contain specimens
from more than that number that
will show veins of profitable size,
so far as that Is concerned. But
here the difficulties begin. Most of
the claims are divided into SO many
interests that it Is almost impossible
to obtain concert of action on the
part of the owners. Then the pros
pect of any immediate means OF
treatment was 40 remote that the
necessary preliminarles have not
been attended to. Next, these
claims are situated at distances from
town varying from one mile to five,
and the only means of transporta-
ton at present are less than u half
dozen pack horses and a few migra-
tory ana uncertain siwashes.
70 add To this, II Is now mld,Sep-
teinoer, ana tie season Is about
ended. Notwilhstahding all this,
however, tne visitors promptly
Iaced this ditilcuity ana overcame IT.
visits were pa'i To n considerable lie
number OF promising claims, which
Included tue Spokane i)eilie, Alex,
Tiger, Ayesba, hismet, Retriever,
rearl, Neptune, New Jerusalem,
Early Blrd sunlight, ONO anc NO.
l, where Mr.; Best obtained a gen
erHl lupn nj llln tshnrnntRr Ot thn ores