St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-10-16
WITH THE TRAVELLERS

d. G. Corbin, brother of Austin Cor.
bin, the millionaire railroad magnate
of New York, is at the Ryan. d. G.
Corbin is himself several times a mill
lonaire. His home is practically at
Spokane, Wash. and he is OIL his way
home from New York. He is the owner
OF the Spokane & Northern railway,
which extends from Spokane to the ma
tional boundary, distance of forty
miles, and is building an extension of
the road into British Columbia to reach
kootenai lake, reported to be the most
prolific silver-mlning, pine and cedar
land country III North America. The
extension is called the Nelson & Fort
Sheppard railway. Mr.. Corbin says that
the kootenai silver mines produce an
average of 100 ounces of silver to the
ton of ore. and every ton produces Go
per cent of lead. Thus ii appears that
the average ton of ore produces $50
worth of lead over and above the tariff
to carry it across the line, in addition to
the 100 ounces of silver. With the ex-
ceptlon of spur line from the Canadian
Pacltlc, Mr.. Corbin'S line affords the
only railway outlet to this very rich
district. MIR. COrbin owns vast amount
OF cedar, white and yellow pine lands
along his British Columbia line.
Through the shrewd financial eye of the
CorbinS he sees vast amount of money
in conveying his cedarS and pines across
the line into Washington, and quite as
great fortune in conveying silver and
lead from the KoOtenai district into the
United States.
Il hope this silver problem may be
settled one way or the other soon by
congress-" said he. 'If the Sherman
silver purchase act is Internationally
repealed 1t will result in the closing of
the loW-grade mines, OF which the ma
lority are in the United States. But the
hIgh-grade mines will still be able to
operate profitably. There are few sill
yer mines in Washington of grade high
enough TO survive the repeal-probably
i've or six in all. The kootenai mines
could still turn out Il handsome profit
Il want TO say that Washington, lay
Ing aside the mining question, is q
| wonderful state. The vast agricultural
district OF the state is in what is known
| as Eastern Washington. That district
| has yielded this year 100000 bushels
| OF excellent wheat. You must under
stand that the agricultural pro-
! duct is not dependent upon
a home market, as in Montana. 1t is
| conveyed by rail to the sound, and
there loaded on sailing vessels, which
| transport 1t to Europe via Cape Horn.
| The cereals there bring fully as good a
| price aS i'll Minnesota, or even farther
east OF here. The present price of
| wheat in Washington is not satisfactory
TO the producers; but, even low as it is,
it returns profit. Washington is also
| developing into wonderful fruit-prO-
ducing state. With the exception of
| oranges, bananas and figs, every kind
of fruit raised IN the United States
| grows there most pruiitically. Apples,
pears, guiners, grapes of all kinds,
! peaches, apricots, pIums, cherries, ETC.,
| and all OF the choicest varieties, turn
out marvellous yields to the acre. The
yield OF these fruits in California, per
acre, is hardly equal TO that i'll Wash
lngtOn. Fruit growing in the latter
| state is comparatively in its infancy.
washington is beginning to ship vast
! quantities of flour to China and Japan.
| She ships across the continent to the
eastern portion of the United States
vast quantities of cedar shingles, hops
and many other products. Train loads
| OF these articles are brought by the
| tranScCntinental lines to Minnesota, and
many of them go to Chicago and still
| farther East.
| washington is also developing into
a great gold-prOducingS state. New gold
mines have recently been unearthed
| there which are as marvellous as any
thing found In California i'll 1919"