The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-12-13

connected, at great depth, with that in
the Miami district. A 100000 devel-
opment fund was set aside. and then
the city of Pitcher was born.
Cities Grow Up over Night.
Pitcher is twenty-five miles from
Joplin and about one half that dis
lance from Miami. Already its popu-
lation is almost as large as that OF
Miami-yet a map Of the Missouri
Kansas and Oklahoma mining district
copyrighted in 1917, does not show Pi-
cher. Neither does 1t show Douthitt
with population of 1000; nor St
Louis, with a population Of 1000; nor
Treece, with a population of 1000; nor
Maxwell nor Hockerville, nor a halt
dozen other mining camps which have
attained the dignity of frame and con-
crete buildings. 1t does not show an
extension Of the Mineral Belt branch
of the st. Louis e. San Francisco rail
road, which now encircles the new dis
trict nor the spur from Miami over
which the Missouri, Oklahoma & Gulf
railroad runs passenger motor cars
daily
In the week ending September Is,
the districts "turn-in" of lead was g.
$4,000 pounds, and of zinc blende 81
445,510 pounds of combined value of
almost $500000! That from January
to September Is the district produc-
ed ga million dollars worth of ore.
| In Miami the bank deposits a year
ago were about $1,OO0,OOO. Today they
exceed $3,5OO,00O. Picher has two
banks, each of which was organized
about two months ago, and each of
which has deposits of 100000,
Built on Leased Land.
No one owns the land on which his
home or his business building stands
in Pitcher. The city proper Is built on
land leased by the Picher company,
which Sub leases every lot--any lot
for 81 month. The merchant with a
store on the busiest corner downtown
pays the same rental as the mine
shoveler who lives in tent on the
outskirts. But neither the merchant
north the shoveler has a lease for a
longer period than thirty days, renew
able at the option of the mining COM
pany. AT the end of any thirty day
period the tenant may be required to
move, and the company may sink a
shaft where his building stood
rs there possibility that mines
will be sunk under virtually the whole
area of the city," an Eagle Pitcher
company official was asked
More than that--a probability" he
answered. But we shall not disturb
the buildings to any great extent"
Pitcher, and the people thereof, feel
fancy the predicament of one of the
neighboring mining towns where the
property was similarly leased by a
mining company which, one day. de-
main business street. 1t happened that
the eXigencies of the operation con-
verified the street, or part of it, into a
mill pond. and situated the pile of
tailings which grows up like a young
mountain beside every mine, squarely
in the center of the business district
The lake and the tailings were remov-
ed finally.
Pitcher Has 40 Mills.
But the incident will convey a hint
OF the atmosphere of the Picher dis
trict-an atmosphere largely of change
and of dust The last several months
frame dwellings have been built at the
rate of one hundred a week. There
are forty mine mills in and about Pr
cher which are not yet in operation.
They will employ an average of 100
men each
A schoolhouse, built last year by the
mining company, already has become
inadequate, and two more school
buildings are being built by the county
rear Pitcher each of which will cost
10000
There is pay -as-you enter motor
bus line between Pcher and Miami
A visitor to the district, humping
along in one of the bussess, lighted
cigarette and passed the packet to his
neighbors. The packet went half way
around the circle of seats before a
miner accepted cigarette.
Il dunno's | can get morn puff or
two outer that frivolous thing" he
said with an indulgent smile, but I'll
take one just to be hospitable.'
There's hospitality and democracy
the Pitcher district. in any
OF the hotels--there are dozens In
Picher and dozens building--if you are
fortunate enough to get into one,
you'll find millionaires mingling with
mine workers whose clothes, on ris-
Ing market, wouldn't assay more than
$3.50 And you'd make mistake If |
you assumed that all men with $3.50
outfit were laborers.