The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-07
CONTACT BOOM
BUDDING OUT
New Town Is Building and
Railroad Is Ready for Work
of Construction Gangs.

From all accounts there is going to be
a genuine rush into the copper-gold camp
of Contact, in northern Elko county, New,
this spring. A stage line between Twin
Falls and the camp has already been es-
tablished and it is declared that within
few weeks automobile lines will be run
ming from Twin Falls and from Wells, on
the Southern Pacific, as well.
This and a lot of other interesting news
is brought out from camp by Henry
Smith. one of the substantial operators in
the district. and the owner of the new
TOWNSHIP OF Contact City. He was in Salt
Lake Friday night on his way to Twin
rails. having left Contact -css than two
weeks ago by the southern route.
when l tell you that I could have sold
every lot in the main street of the Con
tact City tOwnsite in Elko, had / been so
disposed, you can appreciate the fact that
there is going TO be something doing up
there this spring. I had previously prom
iscd to give some of my Twin Fails friends
cnanCe at the proposition, however, so /
declined to be cleaned out in Elko. Our
town has already commenced to grow. and
as soon as the roads are i'm a little better
condition, AID it won't be long, there viii
be lively building going on.
AT the present time there is a large
number of miners and proSpCctors a work
while others are seeking good leasts. The
companies owning large groups of claims
will be soon getting busy, and .as there
has been only a small snowfall. no trou-
bic IS experienced. even this early in the
season. in getting around.
only a few days ago a strike was made
in the Mills overlooking the tOWusite, in
the Antelope property and before | left
for the south it was reported that high
gold values was making in the orc. which
also ran W well in copper. There IS SO
much high grade ore in the mines of that
district that / am certain leasing is going
to become a prominent feature of the
early-day work of developing the coun-
try.
''There is no question about the build
ing of the railroad from Twin Falls down
through Contact and on to a connection
with the Southern Pacific at what is
known as Valley Pass, point a few
Falls to Contact is sixty-five miles. and
from Contact to Valley Pass Junction
is about fifty miles more. The engineer
Of The road has announced that every foot
Of the surveyed line has been established
and cross-sectioned. Nowhere is there
grade exceeding 1 per cent. and there is
every indics tion that dirt will fly as soon
as the construction company finishes up
details for operations This road would
be built 7 believe. even if there was no
mining district along the line. as it gives
d short cut through TO San Francisco and
other portions of the coast that cannot
be overlooked In the economy of railroad
operation. II will save over 30 miles be
tween Butte and the coast and of course
like saving in the distance between
Butte and Contact, a camp that is right
now attracting all kinds of attention in
the Montana copper metropolis
We have been watching with a great
deal of interest the progress made in the
development of the new Fink smelling
process. If that works out. as some of
US believe and hope if will do. the pro-
jectors can rest assured that Contact will
be in the market for the process. as it
would seem to be just what is needed in
our country. If We don't get that or reg
ulatiOn smelling works there within the
year. the mines will ship their ores to
Ely. The grade of much of the ore is
plenty high enough to stand it, should
that plan become necessary
Mr.. Smith has been making arrange
ments for pipe and other materials ueces-
sary to install a water system in his new
town, and he states that he will have the
place supplied from springs that flow
lots of the finest kind of water from an
elevation that will give fine pressure in
the mains. He went to Twin Falls on the
late train Friday night