The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-03
ON ANACONDA HILL.

1t would be simply out of the ques-
ton for me to write for the Standard
history OF my connection with the
Anaconda company. That would COM
pei me to write "A book. and everybody
who knows me knows that Is not my
line. But can give a little something
about the DEVELOPMENT of the Anacon-
da properties and 1 am very glad to
furnish II to the Standard IL my plain
way of telling 1t will do.
came to Butte in 1876. have heard
a great many times that I packed my
blankets into Butte and that 1 went
into a miners lodging house and look
ed about quietly for mining properties
without letting anybody know what
my business was. / know many a good
man who has come into Butte packing
his blankets. 1t would be perfectly
satisfactory to me if / had came into
town that way. But II happens that
I came from Utah. where 1 had been
mining. by rail to Franklin. That was
as far as the railroad was built. 1
came from there by stage. / repre-
scented the Walker Brothers and I
bought for them the Alice mine. hav-
ing an interest in the property myself.
Butte was a bright. active little town
in those DAYS. 1t has been criticised
good deal. but notice that the men
who were IN Butte twenty years ago
and who have been reasonably atten-
tive to business. have nearly all pros
pered. can say that I was not favor
ably impressed with Butte as a silver
camp but believed at the time that
II was a most promising copper camp.
and I based my conclusions on what 1
saw where Mr.. Meader was operating
and on the Developments at the Green
Mountain which was worked by a man
named Posnanski. Partly. but not al
together because OF the feeling ! had
about Butte as a silver camp, I sold
my interest in the Alice. did well
when sold. The money looked large
TO me and when 1 went back to Salt
Lake I thought I would make them
respect my bank account anyhow.
While I was looking around Tor prop
critics in Butte. my attention was oall-
ed to the Anaconda mine. I was in
terested in the account of this mine
which was printed in the Standard
some weeks ago by Mr.. Michael Hick-
ey. He gave what I have always I'M
derstood to be the facts about the dis
covery of the Anaconda and his ac-
count OF his dealings with me In the
bonding and sale of the Anaconda and
certain interests in the St. Lawrence
Is correct in every respect as far as
my memory goes. 1t Is a good guess
that we invested more than a few
hundred dollars in the purchase OF
the st. Lawrence before we owned It
all, but n was worth all we paid for 1t.
/ recommended the property to my
friends in San Francisco and after
some delays we bought the Anaconda
for $4,000. afterwards we bought the
st. Lawrence. The Anaconda mine
was originally located In 1876.
The Anaconda shaft was down co
feet when we started in. We had a
hand windlass. Michael Carroll and
John OFarren were with me when THE
work started. / became very warmly
attached to these two men. They re-
manned IN the service of the company
20 the day of their death. They receiv-
ed merited promotion. Their graves
are in Butte. and 1 shall remember
them always as men who were faith
full in their work and absolutely loyal
in their friendship.
II Is true that a silver mill was or
dered for the Anaconda mine. We
supposed 1t was a silver property. but
we discovered copper near the So0-foot
level. OF course the silver mill was
never put up-the property worked
very rapidly into copper.
really cannot make in a few words
a connected story OF the development
of the properties of the Anaconda COM
pany from that day 10 this. Anybody
who would be interested In the account
can see the HOSTS spread over the hill
back OF Butte. and then he can take a
look at the city Of Anaconda itsek.
That Is better evidence than written
history. feel at liberty 10 say this:
the reorganization OF the Anaconda
company shows from the actual fig-
ures taken from the books that the
Anaconda company in its operations
has paid out In Montana 81. 900 900.
This is a vast sum OF money and when
1 consider the changes that have taken
place at Butte and at other places in
Montana since 1878. am free to say
that personally / take a great deal OF
pleasure In thinking that the property
has been a liberal contributor In the
growth and prosperity Of the state. IL
f. substantially true as has been print
ed lately. that the cost Of operating.
expenses and supplies was ss.50O.0o in
1894.
There have been plenty OF discour-
agements. The fire that destroyed the
smelter at Carroll in the fail OF 1855.
Just after II was finished at great ex-
pense. was the most discOuraging
wreck I ever looked upon. a year af-
ter that followed the mysterious fire
In the Anaconda mine. one thing
that occurred after the IRE was news