The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1895-08-16

likely to drink Patoka water-but
will use it like the citizens OF
Huntingburg do their mud hole
water-to make the streets and
lawns stink with it. Hurra for the
works; the water will put out
fires any way.
Belt, Mostssa,-A Coed Exaaple for
Jasper.
Our former townsman, Mr. Cam.
Bretz, now a resident Of Belt, Mon
tana, sends the following clipping
from the Belt Valley Times to the
COURIER, that his acquaintance
here may know what kind Of place
he is located in. Ii the people of
Jasper would show the pluck in
getting manufacturing establish
ments located here that Belt has
shown, the population of Jasper
would double in the next year.
What is needed is not paupers and
beggars, who are willing to sell
their souls for $50 subscriptions,
but men who have shown an ability
to improve their opportunities, and
have accumulated something with
which to pay labor. Jasper has a
good coal for cokeing, and a splen-
did clay for brick making, which
are now comparatively dormant.
"THES AND Now. A little over
a year and halt ago the now pros
perous camp Of Belt was very little
known outside of Cascade county.
To-day it is known all over the west,
and in the eastern coal and coke re-
gions il is looked upon as formid-
lable rival in the coke market.
I Eighteen months ago the town
was nothing more than e staye sta
tion. with general store ,postoffice,
hotel, livery stable. saloon, and no
pay roll. At that time p. J. Shields
was working night and day endeav-
oring to demonstrate the quantity
and quality of the coal which lay
hidden in the hills in this vicinity.
Nor was this all. As soon as he
was satisfied Of the quantity and
quality OF the coal he determined to
test its coseingqualities. Although
he met no encouragement he never
faltered. With that push and un-
firing zeal, born of years Of pros
pecting in the west, he continued
his efforts, without capital or any
thing but his belief and faith to en-
courage him. He built a rough
coke oven and tested the coal in all
states. He discovered that with
the proper facilities for cleaning and
burning that it would produce an
excellent quality of coke. He re-
allied the fact that ii required some
thing more than he possessed to
open up the new field; it required
capital and a amarket for the product.
He therefore induced the Anaconda
Mining and Smelling company to
take hold Of the property. 1t was
not long until the latter company
was satisfied that the coal was Just
what they required. The force Of
men increased and the property de-
veloped as rapidly as possible. A
coal washing plant and 100 coke
ovens were at once erected. These,
with other Improvements, shows an
outlay Of over half million of dol
lars, and the improvements are Just
beginning. Over 500 men are en-
lployed the pay roll running from
$40, 600 to $4,000 per month.
The output Of coal amounts to
about | 400 tons per day-1 900
tons of lump and 400 Of slack. The
former is shipped to the smelter at
Anaconda and the latter is run
through the washer and converted
into coke.
\ The town, which at the beginning
Iof the year had but handful Of peo-
'Iple, today has population Of over
II 900 and still growing. Like all
lother mining camps, Belt has had
its trials. No sooner did il recover
from one setback than another
'lsprung up. These necessarily re-
tarded the progress Of the town
somewhat. People feared to invest,
I'Ipreferring to wait until the clouds
had passed away. The sky il now
.tclo~v c,,l - haI;o,,o c,,. f,,s,,,a vx-~,.-