The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1901-01-24


valleys In the world.
There Is no better cxemplifcation Of
the great natural riches Of Missouri than
the development OF the lead mines of
this district Here is klondike Al
81. Louis very door, Hers are no.
600 people IN valley where there were
lees than 25 - year ago. Here Ia a
little district 81 miles long aud 8 or
miles wide, In which lead companies
own property valued at ego, 200, 0O0;
where more than so families have been
enriched by the sale of lands valued AT
not more than 60 m acre before the
discovery Of lead, and which yielded
the few farmers scarce enough tOr sub.
sisicncc; where great concentrating
mills and smelters are 80 thick that The
smoke ui their furnaces rise every mile
or 50 In the valley; where In a single
decade the quiet of the forest has given
way TO the ruar and rattle of lead mills,
the boot Of the hoist whistles, tho put.
liug Of engines and tho crcaking OF
ears.
The United States is the creates, pro-
ducer and consumer Of lead of all the
nations. It produced $50, 900 tons
last year. ut this Missouri produced
more than 90, zoo Ious; Bonne Torre
and Flat River contributed 90, 900 tons,
or hve.sixths of the whole Missouri
output.
Lead i worth $50 ton. So this
singls valley, In what Coronado cursed
for barren and lreasurclcss country
when he marched nurihwafd Ia quest
Of gold 400 years ngn, enriched the
world in 1900 by more than $4,000
600, aud will do even more than that
ia 1901.
II is the greatest producer Of lisscm-
mated lead in the world. The lead is
in limestone aud Is q low.gradc ore,
out II can be mined In such quantities
that all the concerns mining II are
making money. Some Of them are
making enormous profits. Aud all lhi,
within G5 miles OF ST. Lunis! All this
an industry OF which not . per cent OF
the people Of 81. Louis ever heard!
Lead mining Is not new in the Bonne
Terrc aud Flat River district II is the
wonderful growth Of the industry there
within the last few years that Is new
Renauh, 4 Frcnchman, found lead 20
miles south Of Bonuc Tcrrc as early as
1920, aud brought la Motto, n miner.
alugi'i, out here to assist In mining The
orc They found surface or pocket
lead In the clay, and Mine La Motto.
named for the French mineral expert,
became one Of lhc famous lead miucs
OF the world.
The 81 Joseph Lead Co, the rich
rsI and largest lead company in the
world, began mining lead at Bonnie
rcrrc IN 1863. Il was . New York
concern, aud purchased 94G acres oi
land at the site Of its mines. In 1869
the first diamond drill used by the com
plny was worked there. Since that
tine the ST. Joe company has grown
until IL is now the owner Of = property
valued at not less than $4,000, 900.
II has its own smclicrs at lIciCuancum.
on the Mississippi river, 40 miles south
oi st. Louis, aud owns the Mississippi
River & Bonnie lerrc railroad, running
from the river at Riverside back TO
Bouue rerre and through The Flat
River disuict, q distance uf 40 miles
1t J., the richest railroad in the world
pIopuriionale to it, sizc It's rolling
stock il exceptionally iiue. Last year
It earned $1,000 mile. The president
of the st. Joe Lead Company is j 10y.
man Jones Of New York, brother Ia.
law Of Senator VI A. Hanna. The ut
JOG has made millionaires of It's stock.
holders II is growing richer every
day. Lead Is not the most precious
of metals; a French chemist has char.
aclcrizcd II "lhc vilcst aud most ab.
icct;" bnt lead has made riches ior the
81. Joe people, and Is doing the same
thing for many other people nearby on
Flat River.
Among the Young men Of st. Louis
looking around for an opportunity 10
get rich l2 years ago was Henry J.
Canlwcll lie Is native of Pennsyl-
vania. In 1888 he heard of the great
riches Of the ST. Joe Lead Company's
mines, and he went down there and
looked around Il is human nature Ia
want ~ fish pretty close to someone
who Is catching something. AIR. Cant
we'll was 50 impressed with tho wealth
of the s.. Joe mine that be determined
to go into lead mining himself. There
were no mines around Donuo Terre
save those Of the 81. zoe and the Des.
logo company, which has sold out since
to the st. joe people Mr.. Cantwell
believed there would be others some
day. lie could not believe that nature
had lavished these riches upon this one
spot and had given nothing to the bills
and bellows near by. So he walked
into ;he Flat River valley, looking for
more of that lead In limestone. lie
made an agreement with Sam Craw-
ley and they brought in a drill and
aud drilled Tot lead They found Il.
That was IL years ago II was the
beginning Of the disseminated lead In.
daslry of the Flat River country. Sur
face lead had been taken from tho clsy
In many places around, but lead In the
rJck had not bren found before.
MIR. Cantwell had u pretty definite
idea of what he had struck. lie had
hit IL rich. And from tina: day he has
been the first IMAM Of the Flat River
country, developing Its great riches,
organizing companies and buying and
selling mining lands, To-day he Is
the president of the Columbia Lead
-. "A