The Anaconda standard., 1898-12-11
WAS NOT Worth LIVING
It Was Dark and Cold and
Gloomy in Butte.
SMOKE NUISANCE AGAIN
A Big. TAN Brick Flue Ie the Only Means
OF Getting RID OF the Smoke.
Crussdes Have Been Fruit
lees-The Right Way.

There was as much difference be-
tween Butte and walkerville yesterday
as there is between hell and heaven.
In walkerville it was a bright. clear.
sunshiny day. In Butte IL was dark
and gloomy and cold. The suns rays
could not penetrate the thick smoke
which enveloped the city. the smoke
filled the lungs and nostrils Of every
man, woman and child. and a more un-
pleasant day has not been experienced
here in several years. Life was not
worth living in Butte yesterday.
1t has been demonstrated again and
again that a newspaper roast doesn't
drive the smoke away. nor does 1t
ever do any good. The smoke ques-
tion Is agitated here every winter, but
IL all stops with the agitation. A
smoke messiah comes here once in a
while and does some experimenting
and tries to demonstrate that he can
burn up the smoke. This always causes
discussion and disputes as to whether
he is really disposing of smoke or not
Before this is demonstrated to the sat
isfaction of either side the smoke clears
away. With the spring, Butte breathes
again. the people forget all about the
smoke, the smoke messiah packs his
grip and HES himself away and the
smoke agitation Is again postponed un-
til the next winter.
That is the history OF smoke cru
sades in Butte. and ii is doubtful IL the
people will ever rouse themselves on
the subject sufficiently to keep at the
question until it Is settled.
The experience of the past few years
has been such as to leave doubt in the
minds of most people who have studied
the subject of the feasibility of getting
rid of the smoke, except by means of
construction of a gigantic flue which
VIII take the smoke up over the noun
tains OF the main range as the smoke
of the Anaconda smelters is lifted up
over the hills and away from the city.
All agitation and Experimenting on the
subject of burning smoke or disposing
OF II in other ways has never amounted
to anything. AS for the fiue, 1t would
solve the problem, but 1t will not be
constructed until the people get so
aroused that they mean business
I'VE get our smoke" said a promi-
nent mining man yesterday, from the
Parrot, Butte & Boston and Heinze
smelters and the Butte Reduction
works. / think a big fiue of brick could
be built to the top of the range from
the three first named smslters for
$780, to S400. 900. and IL could be con-
nected with the Butte Reduction works
for enough to bring the total up to
S500,000. The construction of such a
fiue is the only thing which will ever
solve the smoke problem in Butte.
Some think that II the companies would
build their stacks higher the smoke
would be relieveds but l have observed
closely and l do not think the stacks
could be built high enough to do any
good. The Heinze stack is the highest
of any of them, and yet IL you will
watch you will see that the smoke from
that stack mingles with all the rest
and stays in the valley. The smoke
must be carried by a fiue up over the
mountain. That is the only way IL can
be gotten rid of.
'The question is, how is the $500. 900
to be raised? When the people get suf-
ficiently aroused on the subject, they
should hold meetings. Committees
should be appointed to interview the
city council, the county commissioners
and the officials of the mining compa-
MES. The latter should put up literally
towards the construction of the fiue,
for they certainly owe that much to the
town. If the companies put up 100000
the balance could be raised by bonding
the city and the county by popular SUBJ
scription to the bonds. The city. coun-
ty, mining companies and citizens
should all be given bonds I'm proportion
to their subscriptions. Then provision
should be made for the cleaning of the
fiue at least once a year. This would
net at least $4,000 a year. money
which is now going to waste. This |
would more than pay the interest and |
would pay some of the principal each |
year. so in 20 years or so the fue would |
have paid for itself and would be still |
earning money, and meanwhile the |
people of Butte would be enjoying |
fresh air. sunshine. trees and flowers. |
The Anaconda flues have already much !,
more than PAID for themselves. That |
is the only way the smoke question will |
ever be solved in Butte. and the people |
Of Butte and the mining companies |
themselves are very foolish that they |