The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-09
SHALL we see another Mills bill?
THE SHADOWGRAPHER

Mr.. Julian Ralph, who arrived in Helena
yesterday. is writing a series of of articles
on the recent development of the great
west for Harper's Magazine. He has al
ready made a study of the Chicago exposi-
ton Of 1898 and his article will appear in
the January number. Although a New
Yorker and supposed to be pre- JUDGED
against the exposition he speaks enthusiast
tically of it and predicts that it will be in
most important respects finer than the
recent exposition in Paris, which he visited.
Later in the succeeding months he will
analyze the causes of C%hicago's greatness
and of the growth of the two sets of north
western twins, Minneapolis and
st. Paul, Duluth and Superior.
These studies, embracing a view
of the vast field that is now
producing food for two continents, has
naturally led him to Montana, which he says
is spoken of by the shrewd men of all the
western capitals as a state with the twice
the size aud ten times the mineral wealth
of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Ralph, although a New Yorker by
birth, long ago became Invested of that
proylncialism which marks SO many of the
journalists and writer's of the metropolis.
He has travelled far and wide, visiting
nearly every nook and corner of the coun-
try, and the Harpers are to be conpratu-
lated on securing the services OF a writer
80 broad and catholic in his views and who
describes with so graceful and graphic a
pen the result of his wide observations.
An interesting petrifaction was on exhibit
ton yesterday at the Merchants hotel. 1t
is an almost perfectly modelled human foot
found in a neighboring gulch beneath eight
feet of gravel. 1t is solid stone and weighs
twelve or fifteen pounds. Ihe discovery
set the eminent Archaeological, Professor Nc
Quad, TO thinking, and in o few DAYS he
expects to have a monogram on the subject
ready for publication. At this time he ia
inclined to think that it belonged to one of
the band of Cinnamon frozen to death bv
his elastic quill in the INDEPENDENT manv
years ago.
The energetic movement to give Montana
sapphires a high place on the worlds mar
ket of precious stones promises to return
large profits to the promoters and bring a
new and permanent industry to Montana.
Everyone knows that the stones are bril-.
liant, beautifully colored and possessed of
the hardness and lustre of the most pre-
cious OF all gems except the diamond. A
determined and undoubtedly success
full effort will be made to
make these green sapphires fashionable in
European society circles and then of course
the commercial value will be established ON
Il high scale. If this is done the stones will
become more than a mere passing fad; thew
will be established as gems of the first
order. 1t may be incidentally mentioned
that Montanians have never seen the finest
sapphires found in the state. There are
Montana stones on exhibition in London
valued at $4,000. The deeper green colorsd
are valued much higher than the white
stones which often approach the color of
the amond General Passenger Agent
Lhngle Of this city, has two beautiful
shlrt studs. One ia a diamond, the other a
sapphire and he challenges any one but an
expert to detect the difference in the stones
Inc sapphire excitement among the ranch
men has reached the degree where eyery
man In the valley is looking out for q small
fortune IN the shape of a gem. Ihe pouI-
Try markets OF Montana has in years gone
by been supplied with chickens and geese
from the vicinity of Eldorado bar. These
birds have been sold alive until within tho
past year. Now they are killed and very
carefully dressed at the bar for the reason
That ranchmen have discovered some of tho
finest gems in the Rizzarda of thu fovlo