The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1914-10-09
SHELTER AT LOOMS

A small advertisement appeared in
the Gazette last week that read as
| follows:
"Ore Wanted-I am installing an
electric furnace at this place and am
ready to smelt ores, custom or other
wise. DR.. Ernest Barton, Wentworth
hotel, Loomis."
Upon receiving this notice we wrote
ar once to DR.. Barton for particulars,
for anything that promises good to the
mining interests of the old camp we
are anxious to see fostered, supported
county would be more pleased to see
the mines about Loomis come to the
front and prove paying properties
than the editor of the Gazette
for his faith in them has never chang
ed in all the years since he first came
into the country. This advertisement
for ores indicated that the prospects
Of smelter, even though of small ca
pacity to start with, had gone beyond
a promise, and there was a means at
hand to treat ores or a request for ores
would not be made so publicly. Mr..
Barton answered promptly, but the
letter did not reach this Office in time
last week for a notice of the enter
prise. In the letter DR.. Barton dis
plays modesty that is generally alb
sent among promoters of enterprises
of such far reaching Importance, as he
disclaimed all desire for publicity, in
deed requested that as little notice as
possible be made of the project. He
states that in California, Oregon, Mon
tana and other states where he has
operated his furnace successfully he
had kept all information relative to
the process of treatment out of the
press. However, it is abusing no con-
fidence, and not saying too much about
the smelter, to quote his letter, which
is as follows:
81 am building the furnace at the
mouth of the Palmer mountain tun-
mel. l have taken a lease upon the
electric plant, and will use the current
for smelling. While my furnace will
smelt ores that blast furnace can
treat, prefer, at present, copper ores,
that is, ores in which copper predom-
mates. OF course gold and silver ores
can be smelted with the copper, but
silver ores with lead. must be smelted
separately. l expect to be able to start
in about two weeks. The extraction
will be high. The charges as reason
able as consistent with local condi-
tions. The capacity will depend on
the ore, say from 25 to 40 metric tons
per day."
That DR.. Barton has operated his
electric furnace successfully else
where, and that he has abundant con-
fidence in being able to operate at
Loomis at profit, is manifested in the
fact that he is going to the expense
of installing plant and bringing in
machinery. Furthermore he believes
that there is sufficient ore of the char
acter he desires in the neighborhood
o. Loomis or he would not have select
ed that place as site for a furnace.
He has ample electric current to oper-
ate furnace of almost any capacity.
No doubt the ore will be forthcoming
when it is generally known that there
is means at hand to treat it. Tho
presence of a smelter should put new
life in Loomis and the mines adjacent
to the old camp. The time was when
LoOmis was the liveliest mining camp
in the state and the renewal of work
on the old properties would see re-
vival of the old order of things. We
trust that DR.. Barton will make a sue
cess of his undertaking far beyond his
expectations, and that the furnace may
be the long delayed influence to make
paying mines of the old prospects that
held out such high hopes to the opera
tors and the residents of the place
years ago.