Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-30
STANDARD OILS ADVENT.

The entrance of the Standard Oil COM
pany into the copper field was brought
about by Henry H. Rogers, who is credit
ed with having engineered several Of the
Standard Oil ventures. Before his advent
the names with which men conjured in
copper were W. A. Clark, and Marcus
DAILY, Leonard and Adolph Lewissohn,
the Calumet & Hecla people, in Boston:
A. S. BigeloW, closely identified with the
LeWissohns in the Butte & Boston, and
Boston & Montana companies; j. B.
HagSin and George Hearst.
Mr.. Rogers. it is said, backed into
copper; in other words, the first proper
tics acquired by him We're not the mat
ter of careful investigation and pur-
ahase, but came to him in the settle
3nent of q difficulty growing out of the
invasion of Standard Oil Gas company
territory by J. Edward Addicks, who was
engaged in his Bay State Gas
schcme in Boston, and had some inter-
est in Brooklyn gas companies which
FLASHED with the formation OF the Brook
Ign Union Gas
In the settlement, Mr.. Addicks, it is
reported, turned over to Mr.. Rogers a
quantity of Butte e Boston stock wlien
MIR. Addicks had acquired for some pur-
pose at the time he and Thomas w. Lar
son were engaged in one of the numerous
New England gas tangles. At first, il
WAS said Mr.. Rogers did not think much
OF Butte & Boston, which was bankrupt.
but he took the stock and locked it away
To await developments.
In September, 1898, Mr.. Rogers and Mr..
A. g. Burrase, who had been of great
assistance to him in the Brooklyn gas
affair, made a western tour to inspect
some properties. On their way back,
Ar Rogers, who. it is said. had never
seen the Butte & Boston mine, thought
it Il good opportunity to look over the
field, and SO paid a visit to Butte.
What he saw aStOniShed him greatly.
and in meeting and talking with the
Montana cope kings he was given an
il SIGHT into the copper business, and it's
=, ss!biiities as a money-maker, and he
also heard of the vast litigation that was
involving the Butte & Boston. Boston K
Montana, w. a. Clark's properties and
tie Montana Ore Purchasing mpan
the property of F. A. Heinze.
Nil. Rogers came to the conclusion that
Butte & Boston had been ~mismanaged
in the interest of the Boston & Montana
company, permitting the latter to acquire
valuable rights that it might have Sc
cured. and also that it had mad ruin
Gus contracts with the Lewissohns for
thu refining of copper at Il price above
that being paid by other companies.
1t occurred to him, according to re-
port, that the proper way to settle the
difficulty was to acquire all the proper
ties of Butte. This would settle all the
litigation, enable the companies to con-
ceEtrate the working force, ~iltroduce in
Vulnerable economics and result in sub
stantial profits. Mr.. Rogers learned of
tia amount of money the properties
earned, and figured that it was too great
a return to the public. Two per cent
or the money. he stated, was sufficient.
whether invested in a mining property
or anything else. 1t was pointed out to
him that the return on mines vas always
greater than on other CLASSES Of security.
because of the uncertainty OF the invest.