The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-06-19
d otiOn of the Smelter, COncentra-
Stack, Flue. Water Power.
Etc. A Mammoth
Enterprise.
Al Army Of Men to be Employed
and Railroad Irons Will he
Kept Hot.
Mr.. Parsons Contends That the Great
Copper Smelters Must OF
Necessity be Built at
Great Falls.

tEo8I J. dllS is utotlhCo w w "A''''~N
iyelts ! smelling and manufacturing city.
Goo& progress in this direction has al
readS been made in the location here of
the large silver-lead smelter of the
Union Smelling company lin successful
operation) and of the great copper smell
ter Of the Boston & Montana company.
now far advanced in construction. In
addition to these the Butte d Boston
has decided to locate its new smelter,
which is to be mammoth one, at this
place, and it is Il matter of but short
time until work on this third plant will
be In progress.
PARTICULARS ABOUT THE SHELTER.
Knowing the interest generally taken
by TRIBUNE readers in the progress OF
work on the great B. a. M. smelter, a
representative of this paper secured from
Mr.. G. O. Parsons, consulting engineer of
the company. the following data regard
ing this important enterprise:
Work on the smelter was commenced
in June of last year, and H. kirkendall
& Son began on their grading contract
for the plant in July. At present the
grading is all completed the masonry
and foundations for the smelter and con-
centrator are finished. needed outer
buildings have been erected. the river is
spanned by splendid suspension bridge,
much of the machinery is on the ground
and the work generally is in such for
ward state as to insure its speedy com
pletion.
THE SHELTER BUILDING.
The smelter will be an iron building
l56 feet long by 225 feet in width, and
vii cover nearly two and half acres of
ground. 1t will be constructed wholly
of iron and consequently will be fire
proof. As an indication Of the magni-
tude of this structure we can say that il
\ will contain upward of 200 tons of iron
/ and is large enough to demand the pres
ence in the city today of representatives
Of the largest bridge and iron firms in the
country. who are bidding on the work OF
supplying the material and constructing
\ the building. This smelter will be thor
3oughly equipped with all the machinery
and appliances necessary for handling
q ! 600 tons of ore day.
& 1t is safe to say the machinery will be
In motion and furnaces lighted before
the close of 1891. From the first day the
smelter is started 500 tons of ore will bC
treated daily. but all general arrange
n ments have been made for treating
double this number of tons, and as soor
ss the first section has been completed
\ work on the extension of the plant viii
begin, and before many months the com
X pany will be ready to handle 1000 tons
X of ore every day of the year. This
y means the employment directly ir
and about the smelter of several hun
dred men and indirectly in the transpor
tation of ores between Butte and Great
Falls and the production and transporta
ton of coal. limestone, sand, clay, huXes
etc. of hundreds more. To move l,OU(
tons of ore every day from the company
mines at Butte to this city means a
least sixty cars going each way OF IRON
eight to twelve trains on the constan
move. IF no other cause operated, thi
traffic of itself would compel the Grea
Northern company to build EXTENSIVE
railroad shops here. They simply can
not avoid it.
WILL BUILD A REFINERY.
The first product of the smelter will b
copper matte which will carry about sixt
per cent. copper. AS soon as it is poss
BILE to construct refinery and procur
the necessary machinery, this matte wi
be refined here and reduced to 100 pe
cent. or pure copper. At no other plac
in the west is the process of redut
ton carried to this limit, and Great Fal
is specially fortunate in having in sue
a marked degree all the factors essentit
for the successful refining Of copper, an
ultimately of its manufacture into tn
ordinary articles OF commerce. The maj
nitude Of the smelling plant necessitatt
refinery on the same mammoth seal
The process to be employed is known I
the electrolytic, and the tremendo,
water power de veloped at Black Eag
falls renders the success OF the process
certainty. This important branch OF II
n q NJ ..Ao,r,;,a will ha uDdart q lxf