The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-26
MIR. CROSBY IN WEST
MONTGOMERY MAN WRITES
 FROM SPOKANE.
He Has Visited Number of Mines and Met Many Persons Who Formerly Lived in
 Alabama.


 Alabama.
 Fred. Cosby of Montgomery. who is travelling in the Northwest. has written an interesting letter to his friend, Charles G. Abercrombie, narrating some of his observations.
 He has met a number of persons from West.
 Writing from Spokane, Wash, Dec. IS. MT. Crosby says:
 [ .. Leaving New York on Saturday morning. the Fist of November, by the Lehigh Valley Railroad enjoyed very much the scenery coming over the Ale ghany mountains and by WiIkesbarre. the scene of the anthracite coal strikes last winter. In coming from Buffalo to Chicago, by the Grand Trunk Railway at Battle Creek. Mich, one could see the large sanitarium and buildings de- v-ted> to the making of various lealth foods
 "I reached Milwaukee Sunday even ing, remaining there twenty four hours visiting friends and relatives among whom was Dr. Jim, Stuart, formerly of Montgomery. I reached St. Paul on Mon day morning finding the mercury at six degrees above zero and seeing more fur coats and hats than ever saw before Alter spending two days there with friends and relatives I left Thanksgiv- Ing morning by the Northern Pacific Railroad. which has a very fine train, lighted throughout by electricity and carrying an observation car in the rear With good diner in which fine Thanksgiving dinner was served. All day Thursday We were crossing the northern part of Minnesota where as far as the eye could see on each side of the track were wheat. corn and hay fields.
 T reached Fargo. North Dakota. at dusk and during the night we were crossing North Dakota. On awakening Friday morning we were passing through Miles City. Montana. and had been crossing the Bad Lands for some hours. and continued through them un- til the afternoon The battle field where C::ster was massacred by the Indians was about fifty miles away from sta- ton called Billings. I reached Living ston at, 2:25 D. In., where the road branches to go to Yellowstone Park, 60 miles distant. The railroad station would have done credit to . town of 5o,- 900 inhabitants, but so far as could judge the town did not contain 3,qA.
 From this point we began to ScIimb
 
 two engines. Had not gone far before saw from the train a coal washer, close by. in flames and the people endeavoring to save the surrounding cabins and tres ties by throwing snow thereon as water did not seem to be available. We. reacA- cd Butte, Montana. at dusk, the place made famous by it's enormous production of copper and more recently by the shut ting- down of all the mines of the Amal- ganated Copper Company because of long litigation between the company and one Heintz. We could get from the electric lights quite an idea of the size of the place, and I was informed that the smelters there make 1t impossible for any vegetation to grow so that every eatable has to be brought in from the farms some distance away. I reached Spokane at S:25 Saturday morning and was introduced to a number of promi- nent citizens. and through Mir. GoodalTs kindness was registered at the Spokane Club which has three floors in a large business block,
 ''The club sets three meals day with fine service and very reasonable charges to the members and guests. In the af- ternoon l took a twenty-one mile ride on the observation car which gave a fine view of the principal buildings and streets: the school houses and public buildings are the finest I ever saw in a town of this size. Had a fine view oe Spokane Falls, which flows through the center of the town. Am informed that at low water 5000 horse power can be developed. The Washington Water Pow CT Company, Is now. developing 13,OO0 horse power 5000 of which they are de- livering to the Occur d'AIene mines 11O miles distant, that being a district which contains many valuable silver and lead mines which have contributed quite largely to the building up of this city. They have a number of fine hotels with three newspapers here. I was sur prised al the variety of fare at the ho- | tels and restaurants and the cheapness thereof.
 "As 1t is 1909 miles from New York to l this point. you see that I have covered | a little distance since we last met Sun day afternoon I was driven over the city and had the principal residences pointed out to me and was informed that almost without exception they were the result of the owners successful opera tions in mines.
 ''I met Senator George Turner and he asked about his Montgomery friends. and regretted that his business interests pre- vented his visiting our section oftener. He speaks very highly of the property and its management, which am to wis., 1t. You may remember he obtained his start by investing in it's early days, in the Le Roi Gold Mine at Rossland, B. C.. eight hours ride from here. He has one of the finest residences here on a high hill overlooking the city, which like Montgomery. is a city of hills. "A Boston man who came here five years ago says that at that time there were no paved streets, now the princi- pal ones are paved; largely with as- phalt. The growth of Spokane has been phenomenal. The town was founded in 1873 and in 1880 had less than 800 popu- lation; census of 1890 gave population of 9,222, while that of 1900 was 36,s4S and estimates based on the city directory and school census give this year a popu- lation of 56.625.
 'I am much interested in a new meth- Od, patented by Dr. Hendryx, of apply ing the cyanide treatment to low grade gold ores. Have watched the apparatus at work. It is very simple, first oost of machinery as woll as operating expenses being low. I shall know what 1t accom- piishes when in use on a commercial scale at two well known mines. Competent and reliable judges here state it will be a success. If it proves so it will probably be what is needed so badly in Alabama and Georgia to recover the values from their low grade and refractory ores,
 ''I was delayed in Spokane for eight days. awaiting Mir. Boyd's arrival from the East With his wife we left Spokane