The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-09-28
IMPROVEMENTS AT
SCHOOL OF MINES
CHEMISTRY AND METALLURGY
HALL ABOUT COMPLETED;
COST $25O,OOO
Main Hall and Mill Building Remod-
eled; Gymnasium Building Made
Over Into New Engineering Hall;
Other Improvements.

OCner improvements.
When the Montana State School
of Mines at Butte opened few
days ago, it was ready to give Its
students the finest quarters and
equipment in the history of the
institution. The badly crowded
conditions of the last few years
have disappeared and the men in
attendance found plenty of space in
their cIassrooms and laboratories.
The completion of the new $780,
900 chemistry and metallurgy hall,
and the remodeling of Old Main
Hall and the Mill building have ac-
compIished this result. When the
task of making over the old GYM
nasium into the new Engineering
Hall, work that is now well under
way, is completed, there will be
abundant space for the courses in
mechanical drawing and mechanic
cal design. These courses are the
only ones that will be given under
cramped conditions this fall.
The past summer has been one OF
great activity on the School of Mines
campus and large force of men
has been employed there ever since
the first of June. There is still much
to be done and this force will not be
cut down materially for a month or
more. In this time the basement of
Old Main Hall has been Temodeled to
provide quarters for the physics de-
partment, for the freshman mechani-
cal drawing, for store rooms, and for
locker rooms for the men. The Mill
building has been completely made
over, the western half being con-
verified into commodious quarters for
the courses in assaying with an even
dozen new furnaces installed, while
the eastern half is being made the
location of new gravity type concen-
traitor and oil flotation plant capable
of handling all kinds of Montana
ores. In edition the chemistry and
metallurgy hall has been made ready
for complete occupation, giving the
Montana technical college the finest
structure for its purposes in the
northwest
1t is expected that the engineering
hall will be finished about the close
of the first semester. 1t will provide
four large draughting rooms, so feet
long by 40 feet wide, and office space
for the professors in this department. |
Should new gymnasium be erected, |
and there is every reason to believe |
that one is in prospect at no very |
distant date, Montana Mines will be
able to care for student body of
from $50 to 800 and to care for them |
as well as can be done at any mining |
school in the United States. The !
funds for these improvements are
coming very largely from the five
million dollar educational bond issue
voted at the elections of 1920. With
all buildings completed and with the
campus graded and beautified as is
in prospect, the institution will be
one of which Montanans may we'll be
proud.
OF the new buildings the chemistry
and metallurgy hall stands out as by
far the most important. With it in
operation, only few institutions in
the United States will have as good
Accommodations and facilities for the
study of metallurgy and none of
these few will be any better situated
as regards the number of students
who may be given instruction. Erec-
t1On VI ILLS udl1 was SIdIlSu III 1919 L.
but financial difficulties, the failure
of a contractor, strikes, and slowness
in delivering equipment have much
delayed its completion. Last spring
the professors in this department
moved into their offices and some of :
the lecture rooms were used The
laboratory work, however, was given !,
in the old quarters in Old Main Hall. |:
But now all the lecture rooms, the
laboratories, weighing rooms, stock |:
rooms, and other equipment are !, ,
available and will be used at once. !
The change to this new building will
mark the beginning of a new period :
of expansion that should do much to 4 !
add to the already high standing of :
technical school among |
mining men all over the United :
States.
In construction the chemistry and i
hall embodies all of the !
latest proven satisfactory ideas for
the subjects to be taught l
there. 1t is a modern steel, concrete /
and brick, fireproof edifice, 125 feet :