The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-08-26
PULLMAN TOWN
IN FLATHEAD
Somers, at the Site of oBrien's Big
Saw Mill Plant.
BUILT UP FOR THE EMPLOYEES.
A Fence Around the Town But New
ertheIess it is Nice Place to
Live. j, Electric :. Lights, Water
Works and no Saloons. Wonders
of the Mill.

A tight board fence 5, eight feet
high encloses the townsite of Somers.
And what is more to the point, there
is no liquor allowed to be sold inside
the fence and the unlucky wight
caught making his way from the
walled town to the cross roads gin
mill gets his time. King O'Brien don't
propose to have any of his subjects
influenced by John Barleycorn and
he has adopted the very>best method
to encourage sobriety and thrift.
Few people are correctly informed
of the magnitude of the town of Som
ers From the mill owner himself is
learned that he has so far constructed
n cottages for employees at the mill,
within the fence. These snug little
houses were erected at a cost of $685.
600 and on the property of Mr.
O'Brien, who declines to sell any real
estate in the townsite but builds for
his workmen and supplies them with
comfortable dwellings. The stores all
belong to O'Brien and as the commu-
nifty increases he will have a barony.
with rentals and vassals galore. The
wages paid range from 20 cents per
hour upwards, for the mill hands and
crews are working night and day.
Since the middle of March, when the
mill started up for the season, there
has not been shut down of to exceed
OF oil
cut for the season exceeds $4,000, 900
feet with plenty of logs in the lake,
close at hand, to keep the mill at full
capacity until freezing weather.
When they first started up this
spring the tie saws were not put to
their capacity and for awhile the Tie
Picking plant operated by the G. N.
r. r. Co. was constantly hurrying up
the supply. Now the mill men keep
$4,000 ties ahead of the game and run
along smoothly.
Everything about the mill is now
as well regulated as a military post
and the business proceeds as clock
work. Every man who holds res
ponsible position is encouraged to have
an understudy who can at any time
drop into his place if incapacitated
by sickness or otherwise.
Much green lumber is shipped
from the mill on account of orders
coming in ahead of the supply. The
consumer pays the freight, but Mr..
O'Brien will be stacking up lumber
by the million feet before another
year. unless his mill breaks down, as
he has the logs and the men to handle
them.
Besides the tracks now laid in the
yards, there are stored several miles
of railroad iron which was bought re-
Gently when the market was right
and as soon as the fills have all been
made and the yards leveled, the sys-
tenn will be extended through yards
which, when completed, will stack
yards will be completed before the
closing down of the big mill this
fall. The insurance rate is something
which cannot be overcome by the
long-headed proprietor, for a time
yet. The insurance companies rate
saw mills alike, regardless of fire
protection, and the rate is SAILS, the
same on O'Brien's mill as on any I'M
protected fire trap in the woods The
water works and fire protection sys-
tenn at Somers is almost perfect. An
immense stand pipe on the hill fur
nishes 125 pounds pressure for the
system. The plugs are located in
most convenient places about the
works and hose stations are situated
in various parts of the wor'- and
townsite, so that no fire car cc.l any
Roadway. The water works system
cost $4,000 and the electric plant,
which furnishes light and power for
the whole works, cost about the
same.
Last year before the closing down
of the mill, short season, and dur
ing which there was some trouble
with the boom and scarcity of logs, a
total of 40,OO0,O0O feet was sawed.
With the new machinery plenty of
saw timber and the present opera
ton of the mill, the output this year
will be remarkable
Mr.. O'Brien says that now he is so
we'll satisfied with the equipment of
men and machinery, that even if he
has been absent from the works a
few days he rarely inquiries as to how
the plant is running.
Norman-Percherons
r A Walker has for ca1e IN head