The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-10-12
MONTANA WAS LEFTOUT,
She Only Received One Award By
the Judges for Her Mineral
Exhibit
Commissioner Biokford Makes.
Some Very Grave Charges
Against the Judges
Drunk When rhsy Looked ut the Exhibit
aud They Wanted Money In Return
for Any Mention.

Several dAvo ago THE INDEPENDENT pno-
lishsd In IT, Geographic columns the awards
made BY the bureau u ths Worlds fair In
the mineral department.. On that list
Montana only received favorable mention
for the exhibit Of building stone. Many
inquiries have been made a. TO whether
there was not some missnks about the 70.
port, because II Was naturally supposed
that this state, which WAS Acknowledged 70
have the best mineral exhibit d the fall.
would got more than ona award. CaSsfut
INQUIRY and coming OF Chicago papers did
not show any mistake In the report nrst
printed. Some light 10 thrown upon the
subject. however. BY the following dispatch
from Chicago TO the Minneapolis journal.
under date Of Dot. 0:
Montana Worlds fair officials are verv
much exercised over an Insult which has
been done their state. and they mske seIt-
ous charges against the mon employed In
John Boyd TEACHERS laundering bureau Of
swqrds. As tsleg,aphsd the journal satur-
day, the omission Of Montana from the
official list Of awards in the mining depart
ment causes much commonly particularly
in view Of the wonderfully rich exhibits Of
gold. silver and copper made BY that state.
"Ths Sensational statement IL now made
By Executive Commissioner Bickford, OF
Montana, and in this he ID cossoborated BY
tho superintendent Of Nontsna's mining
exhibit, L. W. Curtis. of Great Falls. that
only one Judge eams near Montana's booth.
and that he was 30 drunk at the tins a. 20
be incapable Of doing any work. win
this judge, whose name 10 moi given, wne
n stenographsr. who was Likewise filed
with whisky and so drunk that hs could mot
COPY the list Of sntrlos for awards. Fur
thcrmore an equally startling charge 4
made by Mr.. Curtis that he was approached
BY Judges in other Department. q ths min
we're given doodle" Montana would be
assured Of q good lot Of awards In minsral::
Because the judges we're not given .'boodls''
money, both Commissioners Biokford and
Supt. Curtis freely hint. Montana was
given the 'Rc-by" and not an award. OK
her exhibits. Even the silver statue Of Ada
Rehan-ths chief attraction of the mining
building for the general visitor-was left
unnoticed.
.'That the serious omission was in NO
wise the fault Of tho Montana oi1oials is
repaired fifty.six pages OF entries. repre-.
sentinQ a total Of over 1000 exhibits OF
ore, These we're neatly and sySteIHatically
classified, the name of the ore. it, location
and the owner OF tho property p0lnR given.
Besides going 10 this trouble all tho ore IN
the booth was scrubbed and Frightened 90
that IL might look at its very best whom the
Judges came. But the %sctubbinR was In
vain.
"Ths Montana collection Of minerals Il
admitted by everybody to DO among the
very best shown by any state at the fair.
Ono case Of gold crystals represents ths
largest and finest geld shown here,
running $40 to the ounce. h 10
the famous collection Of ninety-nino
specimens owned by John Mccormick.
of Butte. and Is oil from one property. Al
for silver and copper, Mortana's exhibits
in those lines cannot DO excelled. Copper
ia shown in oil its stages from the rough
ore to the finished product. Aontana'a
production Of eopper in 1892 Amounted to
1874, 400, 600 pounds, out Of : total produo-
ton of copper in the United States of 325,-
100. 600 pounds.
"'Out OF mere courtesy at least Montana
ought to have received some official rscoR-
milton BY the exposition management. fol
no state has been more untirinR In Ito ef-
forts to interest visitors In tho mining
building. Her booth 10 open from 1880 In
the morning until nine In the evening. al
though every other booth In Tho building
opens at nine and closes at six. Suoh
gross case OF discrimination will no doubt
be looked into. and it 10 understood that 90
investigation is now being made By the
Oh peR officials"