The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-02-27
What Mr.. James NJ. Shields Has to
Say Concerning His New
Coal Purchases.
Work Upon His Mine Being Rapidly
Pushed and Coal Shipments
to be Made.
Great Falls is in it way out Of sight"

Revenue collector james NJ. Shields 10
TRIBUNE representative at the Park
hotel in this city yesterday. "iou are
going to have the road to Castle built
this year before snow falls and no mis-
take. This is bound to become "a great
city, and don't forget to put a pin right
there" continued the clear-headed West
sid business man.
1T is understood you have invested
considerable money in Eelt creek coal
mines" remarked the reporter.
"ies. considerable replied Mr..
Shields. When Carriers rules and regu-
lations governing the cutting of timber
upon the public domain were sent out
they found me with
s25O.O0O
IN the wood business at Elliston. | had
a hume twenty-three miles long and
several hundred men employed in cut
ting and handling cordwood. My con
tract with the Anaconda company call
ing for the daily delivery of from 800 to
400 cords of wood kept a small army OF
men at work. The issuance of these i'm
practicable regulations worked a great
hardship upon those engaged in the
wood business and many hundreds were
thrown out of employment. | looked
over the situation and knowing that
THE FUEL QUESTION
was becoming n Of paramount import
ance to the mining men of Montana. and
that the time was rapidly approaching
when dependence upon our forests for
supplies must be relinquished. | con
eluded to look elsewhere for food for
smelter fires. AS a result I have in
vested in Belt creek coal measures and
will push development as fast as room
can be made for additional men to
work"
How is your mine looking, Mr..
Shields
"Splendidly. My brother, who is an
experienced coal miner, and who has
charge Of the work of development. is
highly pleased with the showing made.
w 'lII Ut i' Ni'IlIAiiE hI tllt
mountain or hill side and have now run
in on the vein 30 feet. At first the coal
was in thin layers. separated by bone.
bone gave place to coal as work pro-
crossed aud now we have from five to
SIX feet of coal, four and a half feet of
which is an excellent article. Us the
vein increases in width and solidity as
distance from the mouth Of the tunnel
is gained wc confidently look for an
or ten foot vein in the very neal
"Nhen do you expect 10 ship coal:"
within ten days. We will start in
with daily shipments of sixty tons.
which amount will be increased as de
'elOpment progresses"
10 what point will you ship"
TO Anaconda"
do you expect to supply the Ana
eonda mines and smeiter with fuel from
your mine?"
well. hardly, at present at least. Do
you know what amount Of coal and
wood those mines and works consume
every day."
The reporter acknowledged his ignor-
ance
We'll. I'll tell you. They are now con
Stunning about 100 cords of wood and as
many tons Of coal every day. If their
fuel was put upon a coal basis il would
take LOO o n a day TO keep them all
running. SO you see we must do a great
deal of work upon N Belt creek niue
We can talk about supplying all
the coal for the Anaconda people,
What preliminary work aside from
mine development are you now doing!'
Nv are building a road and bridges
from the mine to the railroad, a mile and
a quarter distant. AS soon as possible
we will lay a switch from the track to
the mine, which. with side-tracks, will
make about three miles Of rails. We
can then dump coal from the mine
chute into the cars without r~ehandiing,
as we will be compelled to do on first
which will be hauled to the
track with wagons"
'You apprehend no disappointment in
your coal prospects, Mr.. Shields:"
None now. | took chances with my
money at first. 1t might have been "a
case Of make or break. but the doubling
is now turned. We have a great
coal mine on Belt creek. There is no
about that. There is good coal
down here. The Sand Coulce coal is
excellent for steam and heating pur
poses. and so is the Belt coal. 1t is "A
very superior article, and will answe
every purpose of mining and smelling
men,"
Mr.. Shields, you were speaking about
timber regulations. What do
you think their effect will be upon the
interests Of the state?'
"InjuriOus in the extreme unless they
should be materially modified. Under
hem no large saw mill plants will be
nor can be maintained IN the
The lumber manufacturing bust
hess Of the country will be carried or by
saw mills. Now, the Anaconda
mines use up 10000 feet Of lumber each
lay in the year, and it would take a
or more Of these little one-horse
,lants to supply those mines, let alone
he hundreds OF others in the state"
At this Ju%ncture Mr.. A. NJ. Hotter, the
,ioneer lumber man Of the state, joined
n the conversation and expressed SINH
ar views concerning the lumber outlook
8 seen by Mr.. Shields from the stand
,oint Of Mr. Carter's timber regulations.