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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 1890)
122 WEST SHORE. A French capitalist recently purchased a 320-acre ranch on the Lower Powder river, sixteen mile, northwest of Baker City, and intends convert ing it into the model stock ranch of the northwest. Buddings will be erect ed for the accommodation of cattle, and an extensive water system for im gating all portions of the tract will be put In. A large band of range cattle will be purchased at once, and the breeding of fine stock, including horses, will be inaugurated in the spring. TOE EFAWESTT A mine Is something like a millstone, of which it Is said a person stand ing by can see as far into it as the man who picks it. There will always be some uncertainty about a mine, for a thousand things have to be considered in determining its value. One can see the worth of a vein of ore, and by striking the lead at various places, he can determine its general character, and how rich the ore is at the point investigated ; bnt he can not tell what the mine will produce, or even its probable value. What he might consider a great mine may be only a great pocket. In determining the value of a mine, the character of the ore, the expense of mining, transportation and other things enter into the calculations. Water la one of the most trouble some elements to be contended against in a mine; a mining engineer who did not consider this element would be sadly negligent. To determine if a mine will continue to pay one must know the property, the district in which it Is located, and know something of the other mines in the same district. To come to a right conclusion he should know the geologist to a certain ex tent must be deceived at times. A miner may tell the value of the ore in sight, whether it is worth (10, or $20, or $.r0,000 ; beyond that is all con jecture, baaed entirely on experience of mines in similar formations. It is often difficult to determine the value of a piece of land or a manufacturing plant, but the difficulty of deUrming the value of a mine is much greater. Montana Mining Jtnitm. This is the reason why exierienced capitalists will not pay a large sum for a mere prospect hole, no matter what is the character of the ore taken from it. Claim owners who want to get a large sum for their property mutt prospect it to such an extent that the purchas er can tee the quality of ore at a great many different points and at a con siderable depth as well. Kn.) The Northwestern Industrial Kxposltion, Spokane Falls, has just Issued a prosfmtus of the country that Is a fitting illustration of the broad gauge plan Uion which these people do business. It is a book of sixty pages KixlO Inches, profusely illustrated in half tone engravings, and containing a vast amount of valuable descriptive matter. It is a flrstclass work of art and Is the best thing of Its kind ever issued In the west. Manager C. W. Robinson is entitled to much credit for getting out such a work. This pros pectus is In a line with the whole conduct of the preparations for the Spokane exposition. The enterprise, once determined upon, was pushed with Intelligent vigor from the beginning. The institution was organised upon a liberal plan and the execution of every detail bat been In accordance with (lie enterprising policy that Is characteristic of the people of the inland metroolls. The exposition was opened on the evening of October 1, the crowd in attendant being larger than the building could accommodate. The energy of the managers Is shown In their thus successfully inaugural- . ing the fair upon time, even though the building la not fully completed. Spokane Is leading the way when older and richer communities might prop erly be expected to do so. About three years ago a gentleman located a limestone quarry some twelve miles from I'hillinburg, In Die southwestern corner of Deer Lodge county, Montana, and erected a kiln for burning lime. In the Immediate vicinity of the site he chose for the erection of his kiln was an abundance of smooth, hard rock, tome of which he need In lining the kiln and building his arches, Two weeks ago another gentleman visited the quarry and kiln and also noticed the rock near by, and on his return to Helena carried epecl mens of it with him which went submitted to epert, who pronounced It jasper of fine quality. This announcement caused his immediate return to the lime kiln, where he Immediately located a claim. It is said tills is the largest ledge of jasper in the world, and as It Is unsurpassed In quality, doubtless many fortunes will be realised from what waa formerly considered an Immense ledge of worthless ruck. Since the mining industry of lUker county, has assumed such gigantic proportions, the necessity of establishing reduction works somewhere In that section has become more apparent, and steps have been taken to that end by the filing last week of articles Incorporating the IUker City Oil Con centrating A Smelling Co., with f 100,000 capital stork. The oil process by which the ores are to be reduced la comparatively new, though upon numer ous touts being made by prominent metallurgists it has proved very satis factory. The establishment of such an enterprise in IUker City will prove of Incalculable benefit to Uie miners .of that region, and will give the min ing Industry an Impetus that could not bs obtained In any other way. The citizens of Walla Walla, Washington, have incorporated the Walla Walla Agricultural and Industrial Exposition for the purpose of erecting a suitable building and maintaining a permanent exhibit of the products of Walla Walla valley. The intention is to have the display accessible at all times so that travelers and parties seeking locations can see for themselves what the country produces. This is an idea that could be put in practice elsewhere with benefit. The Northern Pacific Railroad Co. proposes building double track over its line between Tacoma and the town of Meeker, the point where the Seattle branch leaves the main line. All the through and local business of the en tire system, including coal trains, now use the single track, and there is probably not fifteen minutes of the day when trains are not passing. Double track will greatly facilitate handling the company's constantly increasing business. The Spokane Falls end of the Seattle, Lake Shore 4 Eastern railway has been turned over to the management of the Northern Pacific company. It embraces about forty miles of track extending west from Spokane Falls to Davenport, In the Big Bend country. The western division of the Seattle road remains under the old management, and the construction of the line to British Columbia is being vigorously pushed. New York capitalists have been negotiating for Uie nickel mines located near the town of Riddles, in Southern Oregon. They propose either buying or efTttding some working arrangement whereby the property can be made productive. Should an agreement be reached, and the mines prove as rich as is anticipated they will, other investments in mining properties in that section will be encouraged. Arrangements are now being made for the establishment of a savings bank at LaUrande, Oregon, with a capital of $100,000. Ground will be purchased and a suitable building erected before the institution will be ready for business, which will probably be soon after January 1, next year. A movement is also on foot for the erection of a public hall building. A deposit of sand has been discovered in King county, Washington, which is reported by experts at Pittsburg and San Francisco to be superior to any other found in the United States for the manufacture of glass. Ap pliances have been ordered from the east, and it is the intention of the dis coverer to utilise the find as soon as they arrive. . The best possible evidence of the substantial growth experienced by Marion county, Oregon, during the past twelve months is that furnished by Uie county assessor, whose figures show a value of property subject to tax ation amounting to $7,654,0)0, an increase of $1,337,621 during the year. New York parties are looking over the ground at Spokane Falls with a view to establishing a large tannery there. A shoe factory la also projected to work In connection with the tannery, though the former does not depend on the latter. The plant will represent an Investment of $30,000. The Incandescent system of electric lighting was introduced at Astoria on Friday of last week. The question of erecting a sea wall along the water front is being agitated by the press of that city. The government will be asked to do Uie work. Lewis and Clarke county, the smallest In area in Montana, has prop erty valued at $20,570.1X10, including the city of Helena, which Is one of the wealthiest cities in the United States in proportion to its population. Butte, Montana, is to have a new city hall, the council having awarded the contract (or its construction for Uie sum ol $39,000.