The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-04-14
PRAISE FOR THE FALLS CITY,
The Question of Advertising Great
Falls at the Worlds Fair
Discussed.
A Letter From !. p. Shields, Manager
of the Belt Coal Mines,
Read.


meeting of the Board of Trade yesterday
afternoon. President Harris occupied
the chair. Secretary Jones read several
letters from parties in answe to letters
he had written, among them was one
from p. j. Shields, manager of the Belt
coal minds. In substance Mr., Shield $
writes that the coal mines of Belt and
Arlington are a continuation OF the
Smith river and Sand Coulec fields and
are practically i~nexhaustible, The coal
belongs to the semi bituminOus class,
and is especially adopted for smelling
purposes. He states that the Belt coal
for steam purposes is equaI to any other
coal yet discovered i'll Montana. The
present output of the mines is small, but
with u seven-foot vein in sight and d con-
tract with the Anaconda Mining com
pany for d large amount of coal, the
mines will be rapidly developed. At
present there are about fifty men sup
ported directly by the mines and he in
tends having 100 men at work before
the year is out. Through the winter
months the pay roll averaged from three
10 four thousand dollars IN Mr.. Shields
mines alone. and with other mines, The
Lewis and Willard and several small
or ones the pay roll at Belt has averaged
over 5000 for the last few months. Mr..
Shields says that should the Burlington
railroad come to Great Falls tand in his
opinion it will in the real FUTURE we can
look forward to lively times aud this city
will then pose as a great coal center.
The president WAS authorized to APP
point Il committee to confer with Mr..
tialt Of the Great Falls ~ Canada rall-
way relative to moving its depot nearer
the city and ascertain if there was any
prospect Of the road being extended to
thOteau.
The question of advertising the city at
the Worlds falr was pretty thoroughly
discussed by Messrs. Scott. Hughes.
Rolfe, Brady. Sweat, Barnes and others.
The president was authorized to appoint
d committee to solicit funds to secure
the services Of a competent man to talk
Great ta Is to Worlds fair visitors.
Mr.. Scott stated that he had talked
with Mr.. Whitney and others while in
st. Paul recently about making range
ments for passengers going east and
NCbl oEtl " Z Tx ANoIt W NC III
lowed to call at Great Falls on their trip
and that Mr.. Whitney would do ali he
could to have the trip from Havre to
our city and return IA free one for
through passengers.
At this stage of the proceedings
Messrs. AmmOn, Stivers and James
Haven, all of New York, entered the
room and Mr.. Haven introduced Messrs.
Arnmnn and StIrnrs Tn fha nlamhnrs nf
the board.
Mr.. Ammon was called upon and
stated that he was agreeably surprised
to find as grand a city as Great Falls in
the west, and that in his opinion Great
Falls was the coming city between Chi
cago and the coast. He had in the past
few days pretty thoroughly examined
The resources Of Great Falls and sur
rounding country and he was convinced
that when the lands were all properly
titled the production of crops Of a kinds
could not be eXcelled in any section of
the west, and that the water power of
Great Falls was unsurpassed on the on
tinent. lie found no boom in Great
Falls and that business Of all kinds was
done on a solid basis. Booms had ruined
more cities than it had ever benefited.
lie said that steps should be taken to
get people to immigrate here and that a
good class Of people from foreign lands
could be induced To come here with very
little effort and settle OF the fertile lands
in this vicinity. He was well pleased
with his visit and hopes to visit the city
again. lie also stated that he was not a
stranger to Montana, that when a small
boy of only thirteen years Of age he was
with Col Baker in mis- AGAINST