The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-28
Built BY Helena Men, and Has a
Capacity Of 200 Tons
Daily.
It Makes Coke for East Helena,
Butte and Great Falls
Shelters.
4 An Apparently InexhaustibIe Supply OF
Coal to Feed tbs Ovens OF the
Company.

Oh COK5 prOuuCbtuu. 50 ias okriotAoAa a
this direction have been confined exclns
iveiy TO Park county, and chiefly to tn
cosl fislas directly tributary to Livingston
The pionesr aoka plant is that of the Law
ingstoa Coke ana Ccai company, situated
eight miles west Of ~Iiyingston and connaotac
by rail by meaus Of q spur track four mites
in length which leaves the main line OF the
Northern Pacific company at q point fou
miles weat u tho yard limits of the rallwa,
The measures that furnish thS
supply of coal for carrying on this indus
try we're discovered in 1888 by w. IL. Will
isuaa, who secured q lease of the lands from
tbs Northern Pacific company, and FOX tWt
years mined cosl therefrom in merchants
BILE quantities. In the autumn of 1885 MIR,
Williams, not possessing the necessary cap
ital to prosecute operations as v!gor-
ously 10 he desired, enlisted George
III. Carver, the rrasiaisH. CT Tie Catvsr
Mercantile company. ill the enterprise, and
during the following year the mines were
moro extensively worked. In the NEAL
time the cooking quality of the coal had
been demonstrated by thorough practical
tests, and the following summer a. l.. Love,
at that time cashier OF the banking house
of Stebbins, Mund IL Co., of Livingston. was
induced to take an interest in the propert y
with a view to establishing coke works.
Helena capitalists were readily enlisted i'll
this proposition, which promised not only
to i~naugurats a new industry in the state.
but bring good returns upon the capital
invested through the increasing demand for
coke to supply the furnaces of numerous
smelters. A stock company was organized
and articles of incorporation OF the Liv-
ingston Coke and Coal company were filed
with the Territorial secretary Sept. II, 1856.
The capital stock was $25o,o0o. Samuel 7.
Hauser, A. j.. Love, A. NJ. Hotter. ii. ID.
Hauser and Z. w. Toole, incorporators. A
bond was secured by Gov. Hauser upon the
coal lands, subject to lease from the North
ern Pacific at that time, but title to 300
acres has since been acquired by the COM
pany, assuring an abundant and appar-
emily in~exhaustible supply of coal for the
future.
Prior to this date one coke oven had been
been built from which seven tons of coke
was produced and run through the furnaces
of the Wiekes smelter. This WAS pro-
nounced by Superintendent Raht to be
equal to the Connellsville coke for smelt-
ing purposes, and the company proceeded
at once with the erection of twelve ovens.
Il plhls Woo "SLoy "a"
ovens the following summer, and additions
have since been made until, ct this time 13O
ovens are constructed, making a continuous
line nearly half q mile in length. Of this
number 100 are kept constantly in opera
tion, producing an average daily output of
over one hundred tons of coke, all of which
is shipped to East Helena, Butte and Great
Falls for use in the gmelters 1883 points.
To produce this coke 100 to 2UJ tons of coal
is burned daily, in addition to which eighty
to 100 toni are shipped for fuel purposes to
the points named above. In operating the
ovens and mines 25O to $50 men are en-
ployed. making a monthly pay roll of from
$4,000 to $4,000 monthly, the greater por-
ton Of which is either directly or indi-
rectly tributary to Livingston, contributing
in no small degree to it's growth Il con-
tinued prosperity.
The mines of the company are situated
several hundred yards above the ovens, by
which they are connected witt a trumway
SO arranged that loaded cars on their jour
ney to the ovens furnish the motive power
for returning empty cars to the dump. The
mines have been thoroughly developed with
over three miles OF tunnels, exposing an
apparently inexhaustible supply of coal.
The main tunnel in the mountain ia nearly |
half q mile in length, from which the
smaller tunnels and entries penetrate the
coal body on either side. Near the en-
trance to the main tunne q glops has been
sunk to a depth of 600 feet, all the way in
coal. From this slope the coal ID elevated
to the surface by means of q large station
ary engine and a complete set of hosting
works, manufactured ut Litohfeld, ILL.,,
with a capacity for raising $50 to 800 tons
per day of ten hours. This improvement
was made ths past season at a cost of $685.
600, to take the place of machinery pre-
viously employed, but which had become
inadequate by reason of the depth of the
cIppa and thu laTnGiy inpraopa1 nrty,uA cf |
coal. The output from the tunnel is
brought to the surface by means of q steam
motor, which is also utilized in hauling the
oars from the mines to the large buukers,
which the ovens are supplied by
means Of the tramway mentioned above.
1t became apparent from practical tests
with the output of the c%ompany's mines
thgt the value of the coke could be greatly
enhanced by the addition to the c~ompary's
of Il concentration for washing tho
coal preparatory to burning it in the ovens.
Thla concentrator was especially desirable
the treatment of the output of No. 2
mine. Work was accordingly begun upon
the washer in July, 1889, and completed
about two months later. 1t consists OF &
large storing bin or bunker to receive the
output as it comes from the minea, ftom s
which it is ca ried by a Harrison couYeror
to a series OF screens. These soreenE
the fiDe coal to fail through. While ,
Ht.AE VI A3LA EhAo hosi o lrll JStt LtIS
screens to a set Of 24x3O inch rolls, wb+re it
1s crushed and passes over q traujtIe or
screen into jigs. The jigs are kept III cor
agitation by & stream Of water passing
through theM., causing the tne coal to La
into settling tanks and the cuArser =
to settle to the BOTTOM, from wharf II i@ {
to the rcils. lAis o5arati1r ii
crushing and screening il repeated uptl ali
tie coal is removed and dap26iteA in tin .
tanks, when the water is drained ,
on aad the coal prepared for the ovens.
4 lNU horsepower Independent cnt.off, ,
ftaIer d ChalI1efH ea&lDc, with TIA II, ,
HORSEPOWER boilers. lg uks;i in optru4inr
this insehiuerr. Nhs wetsr used in the
IL sapp:tsd ltnu, f. tank With a ca
pacity OF i1,clJ gallons, elevated 10 give 4
fiaaa CT lGp toct, agd IS forced from q creek
TO the tSGk Wy means q: T. NO. 8 Nortainc-
ton dapleE pump. Tn capacity Of the con-
la "Ga 80 800 tons duly and was 4
Co.'s pieteH at & cost of T3J, 0UU. 1
Ik@ branch rGiitead walGL connects Lily
ln&stpn WITH CeHefaie was constructed by
lha L7Flraston Goal Il C2Ep conpany ia l
1924 10 f2cilitafe eeko aua coal shipments.
l9eetaHtjyo ID ran from Livingston TO the
nsese With empty cars End returns with a [
lralpload of eoks and coal nearly every i
day, furnishing e profitable feeder for the
oatRgauy. {
Ile officers O. tho cor are S. r.
president: r.. III. Iafchen, vice :
prasjaeEt: 4. IL. Al.an, seGca3a:f mid qea. l
1rat manager; A.. j. S~ii Lyman, troanuret:
IyAITJb II. w nj n ~ By ..r .n.- ~ -.