The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-04-29
And Timber Cut, Rated and
Manufactured,
TOWN OF SOMMERS
A Coming Lake Metropolis Which Already
Boasts Population Of Zoo Men and
Two Extensive Plants.

Special Correspondence of the Bee:
Situated at the head of Flathead
lake at the terminus of the southern
extension Of the Great Northern is
Sommers, the latest town in Flathead
county to make it's bow and demand
attention. Named in honor of the
vice-president of that company and
having back of it all the power of a
great corporation the future of Som
mers can be nothing but bright.
One of the unusual things about
Sommers is the fact that the townsite
has been laid out, streets are being
graded, water mains placed in the
ground and numerous buildings con-
structed. The town will be lighted by
electricity while at least two hundred
men are now employed in constructing
the saw mill Of the John O'Brien Lum-
ber company, and the tie picking plant
of the Great Northern. With all
this Sommers has been unannounced,
and up to the present time no endea-
vor made to boom the place, which Is
intended to be the residence of the
hundreds of men employed in these
plants or in the mountains getting out
timber to keep them in operation.
The electric light and power plant
will, besides lighting the town and
mills, furnish power for an electric
railway which will connect the two
plants.
The saw mills are nearing compile
tion and besides being one
of the largest in the Unit
ed States will be one of the
most complete in the world. Every
piece of machinery is of the latest
model and no expense is spared to
: rush the early completion of the plant
The tie picking plant is the most
interesting as we'll as the first of its
kind to be constructed. Here tri-
angular shaped pieces Of timber will
be placed in huge retorts of steel
12O feet long and steamed and cook
ed until every fibre has been pene-
trated by the chemicals which Will
make the durability of each tie equal
to three times that of those which
have not undergone the picking treat
ment.
The plant is being constructed by
Fairbanks, Morse & Co., of st. Paul,
who are represented by William H..
Henry, engineer, Joel Mckee, general
foreman and A. M. Nicholl confidential
clerk.
AS with the work on the saw mills
every nerve is being strained to ef-
feet the finishing of the plant. Huge
tanks have been completed, founda-
tions for the four retorts, each 120
feet long and having the appearance
of huge steam boilers, and number of
buildings are up.
One of the gentlemen in speaking Of
the plant said, "Of course the natural
tie, that is the tie as it comes from
the forest, will be treated, but it Is
the intention to treat ties which will
be triangular in form instead Of
square as in the case Of those now in
use. The ties will be made from
timbers the usual length, having two
faces Of IL inches and one about 1d
inches. Or from timber IL inches
square which has been sawed n
halves from one corner to that op
posite. It is intended to sink the
two IL inch sides in the ground leav
ing the 16 or widest upon which tc
secure the steel rails.
It will be seen that the surface oi
the tie in contact with the earth is one
third less than that of the square til
and consequently the decay caused BY
such contact is done away with.
Sommers, Mont, April 30.
EIGHT MEN BURNED TO DEATH
BY Associated Press:
: Cannes, France, April 29.-In flr'
at the artillery camp near st. Jean