402
WEST SHORE.
three tre portable. In this connection it should be remarked
that these directory lists, as far aa sawmills are concerned,
deal almost exclusively with stationary mills, only those port
able mills being admitted which seem to be of some import
ance to the general trade. Of the dealers reported from Cal
ifornia, 113 are wholesalers, 238 are retailers and seventeen
commission.
Fort Benton jieople are now enthusii stic over the proposed
construction of two new railrorda to the city. Their confidence
tlmt the road will be built seems well grounded. The North
ern Pacific people have shown their intention of building a
road from Hillings to Benton by making the preliminary sur
veys, and by further sending out a con of 100 men to locate
the route. This work was begun at Benton lust summer. It
seems reasonably certain that the road will prove a paying in
vestment. It will provide a means of early access to a mag
nificent section of Montana, the development if which will be
of vast Imimrtance to the commercial interests of Benton.
The construction of a road from Benton to Lethbridge in con
ne t on with the Canadian Pacific seems even more certain.
The proposed road known as the "Gait" road, from the fact
that Sir Alexander T. Gait, of Montreal. Is the leading spirit
of the enterpri-e, w ill run over a narrow guaite by the way of
mo rwrui urass finis to j.elhbri.Igo 185 miles distant. The
local capitalist Interred are Messrs. G. W. and C. E. Con
rad. The routo has Wen surveyed, the stock has been sub
scribed and It Is believed that the road will be underactive
construction in the spring. When these raids are finished the
Manitoba road will undoubtedly be forced to run its line into
the city. Three railroads In the city will work wonders for
Kenton's growth. Her citizens already see a return of the
commercial pre tip enjoyed by Benton when there were no
railroads to Interfere with tralllc on the upper Missouri river.
The surveyor general of Idaho, referring to the operations
that ln, hen, entered upon for procuring data on the subject of
the prin ted pttn of Irrigation in that territory w ith govern
ment aid. says that enough has already lieen rented to war
rant the bell.f that mom than 0,000.(100 acres can easily be re
claimed from dry, arid plains and made to produce from $30 to
M worth of hay, grain and vegetables per acre. Without this
comprehensive ,,,,, cf rmll ,,, onw nmyiAn M
abundant waters upon this wide extent of arid plains Idaho
baa now nearly reached Its limit In agricultural prosperity
The surveyor general also remarks upon the likelihood of spec
ulator endeavoring to secure water rich's necessary for the
.mves, o the prvject when It is found that the government is
likely to n.ngur.t. the work of lrrlKation. He expresses th.
opinion that th Immediate enhancement of the value of land
now a desert waste would he so great as to far more than re
fund the coM of Irrigation, and that the work is of such a char
.cter as should 1 undertaken either by the federal government
or by the erritory or state, In order that the greatest good may
result to the greatest number. 7
A good deal of active development work Is being done in
the Okanogan country, Washing. . The most Important Im"
iwvements of the yea, have been m.d, at the Arlington mine
on Kuhy bill This mine la owned by . Incorporation of IW
nd men h.v ,,g . capital of 11,000,000. It is th, mo,t,x.
tenslvely developed mine In that region. The material for
erecting a mill Ison the ground and much of the construction
work U don. The ...111 will be one of th. best in the north"
tt, and will hare a capacity of eighty tons of ore a day It
will cost, when completed, at least $250,000. The foundation
which is now completed, cost $150,000. Work on the mil hu
been suspended for the present, but will be resumed as son
the weather will rermit. The brick for the structure are being
manufactured on the ground, 400,000 having already been
made, 300,000 more being required to comrtfl ft,, -.j.
There are now 2,000 tons of ore on the dump. It iB anderstood
the Arlington mill will crush fifty tons per day of the Arlint
ton ore, and thirty tons of the ore of other mines, in order to
assist In the more rapid development of the camp.
The first annual meeting of the British Columbia Cattle As
sociation was held .in Kamloops the first week in December.
There were about forty members present representing the dif
ferent stock sections of the province. The secretary read the
following reports from the round up captains of the different
divisions referred to, showing the number of animals bunded
under their supervision during the year: Thompson river
division-Spring branding, 407; fall branding, li)3. Earn
loops division-Spring branding, 1,775; fall branding, 547; to
tal, 2,322, at an average cost of 19 cents for each animal.
Shuswap division-Spring branding, 60; fall branding, 20.
Nicola division-Total number of calves branded during the
season, 1,077. Expenses incurred, $417; making an avenue
cost for each calf of about 25 cents. The number of cattle
branded In the other distrhtf was not given. Several eubdi
visions were formed, and alter a general discussion theasso
ciation adjourned.
Columbia river sturgeon fishing is developing into an indus
try of considerable proportions. The fishing is better thin year
than ever known before. There seems to be no limit to the
amount of fish which can be secured, and on the 150 miles be
tween the cascades and the sea there are probably not less 500
men engaged in catching sturgeon, and many of them are mak
ing better wages than during the salmon fishing season. The
sturgeon fishing business is only in its infancy, the first iblp
menta east having been made last yesr. There is a great de
mand for these fish there, and it is probable that another year
will see more firms engaged in the business of shipping then.
The amount of sturgeon used in the local market Is compara
tively small, but large quantities are shlped to San Francisco.
The Indians have been congregating for over a week, and
at thin wrtlini am 1....!. .t i ii.. .. ..,1.
-- n.....,6 uavmg wgii tia time over on me west siue
of Guemes island, at their rancheria. Every canoe that hu
passed here has been loaded down to the water's ede with all
kinds of presents to be given away at th-dr potlatch, and we
re yd that over 40j Indians are now camped there. All
kinds of Indian games are going on, singing, speech-makinf,
etc., and perfect order is kept by Indian policemen. Any one
under the Influence of liquor is promptly stowed away in the
skookum hous. and it is safe for any one to go and see howl
patlakh is carried on.-nwrrVi, ( tTaiA.) rrogrm.
At Inglewood, a town on Lake Union, near Seattle, a valu
able discovery of iron ore is reported. It is brown hemauts,
and from the crude assays thus far made it is believed torus
between fifty and sixty per cent, metallc iron, which is as rich
m the best mines in the world produce.
The linseed oil mill in Portland has been running niht and
'y ince the middle of September. It uses about 600 busbeli
7 A"1?1 Very twen,y-fo hour, and turn, out from 1,300(0
U00 gallons of oil per day.