The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-17

sibilities this city has in store from her
water power alone The flow Of the
Missouri river is more nearly uniform
at this point than nearly any other
river upon which water power has Been
developed. and, yielding an average
flow throughout the year of 5000 cubic
feet per second, demonstrates that here
can be developed, in round numbers,
100000 gross horse power, or more than
three and one-half times as much as the
combined water powers of Minneapolis,
Mimi; Holyoke, Lowell and Lawrence,
Mass; Manchester. n. H; Cohoes, n.
Y, and Paterson, N. j. Further COM
ment would be useless.
The year has been good one for the
stock interests of Northern Montana,
all of which may be said TO be tributary
to this city. During the season for cat
tie shipments the prices have been eX-
ceptionally good and show the highest
range since 1891, and, with few eXcep-
tons, the highest in more than 20 Years.
The increase has been from So to 81 per
head more than last year, which means
81, 600 more for the Northwestern
cattleman; several hundred thousand OF
which comes into this section. Steers
ranged in price from $3.50 to $50, while
the bulk of the beef steers marketed
brought $4.35 to S4.75, the average price
shipments there was a marked falling
off in number, not any greater, however,
than was expected by the cattlemen
themselves. The reason for this is due
to various causes, the principal one be-
ing the difficulty of securing feeders to
replace stock sold, the severe winter OF
'93. the abandonment of some ranges
and the gradual encroachment of the
farmer upon the great stock ranges.
Neither have the Northern Montana
sheepmen any complaints to make,
sheep and wool having both brought
good prices in the past season, and the
outlook for next year seems fully as
good Last year nearly 600 pounds
of wool We're sold in the GSeat Falls
market and an average price of about
II cents per pound obtained. In this re-
gard it may not be generally known,
but it is a fact, that Great Falls has
the largest initial wool market, not only
in the state, but in the United States.
An initial wool market is a market
where the raw wool passes directly from
the producer to the buyer. Boston wool
houses are buying next seasons wool in
Utah, and have made one or two pur-
chases already in Montana at a 20-cent
figure, so that the sheepman's outlook
for next year is also good. a plan to
get a small wool securing plant in one-
ration here has again been taken up,
and if the Sheepmen of Northern Mon
tana are wise and will put up a few
dollars to back their wisdom a plant
for securing samples will be established
by next season and sales made on
more accurate basis as to the amount
to be deducted for grease, dirt and
shrinkage.
The system of irrigation being intro
duced into Northern Montana by large
canals and reservoirs promises to add
thousands of homeseekers and millions
of dollars in increased valuation. The
Burton bitches in Teton have been in
successful operation for some time, and
the T0-mile canal now being built from
Dupuyer, in the same county, by Con-
rad Bros, will reclaim more than 1901 600
acres of what is now arid and non-pro
ductive land. 1t is probable that a canal
for irrigation will be taken out on the
Milk river valley within the next few
years, as will one also on Sun river, but
in somewhat longer time. All this
means much for Great Falls and North
ern Montana generally and will add
greatly to the wealth and population of
both.
Benton is going to have the Great
Northern railroad at her door with the
flowers that bloom in the spring; Havre
is to have a new hotel and the assur-
ance of not being sidetracked by Jim
Hill; Chinook has one of the most
prosperous little villages in the state;
Glasgow still has Hon. r. X. Lewis;
Lewistown has promise of closer con-
nection with the outer world: Cascade
has persuaded Herman Kraus to come
back; Kalispell has a growing class of
orchards and cereals that her citizens
will match against those of the Bitter
Root any time; Libby has sawmills and
| developing quartz mines without num-
Der: Shelby Junction hasn't had a row
for three weeks, and taken all in all,
Northern Montana does not feel so bad,
| and sends to the rest of Montana, by
| way of the Standards holiday number,
| a merry Christmas greeting and peace
on earth to all men of good will.