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THE LIBBY HERALD VOL. 2, NO. 11 LIBBY, LINCOLN COUNTY, MONTANA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1911 $2.00 PER YEAR SEWER BONDS - BRING PREMUIM Chicago Buyer Takes Town Offering, and Work Will Soon Start on Big Sewer Project; The city council held a special session last Tuesday evening, which was a decidedly important one. The sewer bonds for $20,ooo was sold to C. H. Coffin of Chica go, one of the large bond and mortgage dealers of the country. These bonds brought a premium of $Ioi, the purchaser also furnishing the printed tforms. The money is expected to be here in a few days. Fifteen thousand dollars of this bond sale goes into the sewer fund and work will start upon the sys. tem as soon as the details can be perfected. The plans and specifi cations of the main outlet sewer, by City Engineer Duthie, have al ready been passed upon and ac cepted by the council, This out let sewer will run from Mineral avenue on First, west to the city limits, then northerly through the Remp ranch into the mouth of Flower creek. The rights-of-way for the sewer were granted and filed yesterday with City Clerk Rice. The entire system covered by ] this issue of bonds will constitute f the main sewer, the laterals being I provided for Jy especial improve- I ment districts. There will prob- I ably be three parts to the main f sewer line, and the first part will i consist of the main outlet sewer, which work will be the first to be i undertaken. f The civic improvements already C installed, those now being built 1 and this later one provided for 1 and soon to begin, Libby will be one of the likeliest little cities in the state for comfort, convenience and health, proving particularly attractive to prc spective home builders from outside points. These progressive features are already t causing inquiries from heads of 1 families who desire to come here and C live in a mild climate and sur- I rounded by those civic impove ments which all wide-awake cities adopt as a part of their policy. * Other matters acted upon by the I council at Tuesday's meeting was the acceptance of Contractor Nash's work in cement walks in Improve- r ment District No. 3, all claims be- c ing settled and closed up. V The council also approved the H report of the census enumerator and adopted a resolution advancing v Libby to the status of a third-class S city, and the same was filed with F the county clerk and with the sec- A retary of state. Local News Items From Troy Raphael Zon, of the forest ser vice, Washington, D. C., in charge of forest studies, accompanied by Supervisor Skeels, visited Troy last week to select the weather and experiment stations for the Troy district. Mr. Zon has decided to divide the apparatus between the Bening and Dennis stations. The forestry people are repairing the Sylvanite-Troy telephone line, and building an extension of 22 miles up the Yahbk from Sylvanite to the Olson ranger station. Marsh Roberts and Lou Hale have returned from the Pipe creek country. J. H. Ehlers, accompanied by an engineer from Minneapolis, a a few days ago visited the Yahk. 4ýntinued on last Faze.) LIBBY COMMERCIAL CLUB ORGANIZED Business Men Get Together and Form Organization--- Will Have Publicity for Lib by Along Modern Lines. On Tuesday night, at Plum mer's hall, was held an enthusias tic and well attended meeting for the purpose of organizing a com mercial club, along the lines sug gested in the Herald last week. Mr. Gray acted as chairman and Mr. Skeels as secretary. About fifty men signed the membership roll. A comteitte consisting of Messrs. Millett, Wall, Plummer, Faust and Maiden was appointed to formulate bylaws and a general scheme of organization, to be re ported at a meeting called for next Thursday evening at Plummer's hall. Permanent quarters, a per manent salaried secretary, efficient publicity work, developing and and fostering new enterprises are contemplated. WAS MUCH ALIVE LAST SPRING. The reported death last year of Herman Hilderbrand in the Death Valley desert of Neveda, seems to have only been a rumor, as "Dock" Redfield, who has just returned from the southern country, saw Herman at Cascade, about twenty .&,- s...a Goldfields, Nev., last i April. He was then packing up for a trip into the hills. Herman had found nothing in the Nevada country worth while and said he intended gradually working north s from there through California and s Oregon. We would not be the i. least surprised to see him back r here again on his old stamping c grounds. For they all come back. Lincoln County Assessment The fullotviug is the assessimenix roll of Lincoln county for the year 1911: No. acres................... 509,630 Cash val. real estate......$2,080,580 Impr. on same............ 45,860 " " " assed to others ................ 5,985 Cash value city and town lots ................. .. 97,435 Impr on same........... 89,515 Mortg'ages, contracts etc. 12,625 Telegraph and telephone lines ........................ 14,920 Depots, shops, etc....... 26,155 Canals and flumes......... 1, oo Water and Electric light 750 Household goods, etc 9,755 Musical instruments...... 2,660 Libraries, etc. ............. 915 Wares and merchandise 48,608 Saloon and store fixtures o10,400 Farming tools and mach. 37,885 Wagon, harness, etc...... 7,200 Wheat, oats, hay......... 585 Lumber, wood, coal...... 96,340 Horses 9 thoroughbreds.. ....... 2,r5o 494 range.............. ... 15,560 505 work and mules.... 25,560 Cattle 15 three-year old.........$ 31oi 272 milch cows............ 8,240 687 stock cattle.......... 1I,795 222 two-yr. old............ 3,440 296 yearlings ............. 2,935 Hogs, 213................ . 1,075 Total of all property..... 2,772,489 Railroad property,........ 2,432,251 Total 5,204,7401 It is reported that the Independ ence copper property north of Eu reka has been sold by Ed. Boyle to eastern parties and that work on that big propisition is to be pushed actively. W. P. Sherman, the Kalispell undertaker with branches at Libby and and Eureka, visited here last Sattg ay. KOOTENAI FOREST SELF-SUSTAINING ONE OF THE FEW REVENUE PRDUCERS. Interesting Statistics as to Road Building and Policy of Department. d A visit to the forestry office thi' It week and an interview with Super. p visor Skeels gives some informa f tion which is of more than passing local interest. d The Kootenai forest reserve is Ll the second largest in the country, exceeded only by the Blackfoot t and by but a few acres, but it is s probably the only reserve in the state of Montana that is on a rev t enue-paving basis. It has been i the general opinion that the 25 per e cent of the timber-sale receipts is returned to the counties from where the revenue came, to be used for road and school Purposes, but this is not the case. If this f were the practice, Lincoln county I would receive fully twice the year ) ly sum it now receives. By legis lative act it is distributed among 1 the forest reserves according to the 7 acreage of such reserve. A re ' serve may not turn out fifty dollars t in timber sales in a year a;ld yet receive several thousand dollars. I It happens that the Kootenai forest I is particularly active in the sales department and is likely to be for some time to come for several rea sons. The timber stands are heav ier than in most reserves and the many logging streams bring it in close touch to transportation lines. Much has been said about the distribution of the road money; that it should go to the three coin missioner districts in proportion to the receipts from each districts in timber sales. If this could be followed-to carry out the conten tion-it would figure about as fol lows, taking the records for the past two years, daring Mr. Skeels' administration: Troy 53 per cent, Libby 45 per cent, Eureka 2 per cent. Another interesting feature brought out by the records in the forest supervisor office is money expended upon roads by the de partment. There is no effort made to expend the money for such' work on an assessment basis or acreage basis, but the work is done where most needed according toi the funds available by congression al appropriation. Libby is the headquarters for* the Kootenai reserve and it is the policy of the .upervisor, and it is sound and businesslike, to connect headquarters with the different sections of the reserve by roads, trails and telephone lines, the bet ter to reach these sections more quickly and efficiently govern and control the parts from the central point. This would be the case were , the headquarters at any other ' point in the reserve, i. But it so happens, and without! t it being the intention to do so for i the reason stated above, that the t expenditures for the past two years u-- - - BALL GAME SUNDAY NOT VERY SWIFT OR EXCITING The ball game between the Lib by Reds and the Rexford team last Sunday was very much of a jug handled affair--in fact, the upriver visitors were so completely out classed that the home nine were scarcely afforded a good practice game. In the 2nd inning the Reds knocked the ball to all corners of the garden, the scorer marking up eight runs. After this inning, ev cry member of the home team took a turn in the box, probably for fielding exercise. In the general melee the visitors came across two times in the 6th, the final score be ing Libby 13, Rexford 2. which covers Mr. Skeels' adminis tration, will just about average up with the acreage in the three com missioner districts. The total by items follow: LIBBV DIISTRIC'T McGinnis meadows wagon road ....................... 581.40 ILibby creek wagon raod.. 499.50 Pipe creek trail ........... 828.o9 Repairs Pipe creek ag rd 15.15 " Meadow cr trail... 10 30 Pipe creek trail................ 006.70 Quartz creek trail.... ....... 1378.15 Total $4419.29 EUREKA DISTRICT Rexford-Yahk trail........ $1247.00oo Gateway-Warland trail.... 1425.56 Five-Mile bridge ............. 13.81 Repairs E fork Yahk trail 121.oo Parsnip creek trail........ 224.54 Total $3031.91 TROV DI)ISTRICT South Fork Vahk trail...... $80o.338 Vahk falls bridge ..... ....... 960.27 Troy ferry .................. .. 250.00 Repairs Troy-Sylvanite raod 121 .00 West Fork Yahk trail........ 1o5751I Keeler-Lightning eleck trail I . 16 O'Brien creek trail ........... 341..50 Sylvanite telephone line..... 83.47 Total ;2990o.53 This expenditure of $10,oo isi entirely independent of any county road money, nor has it to do with the 25 per cent road money given to the county by the governmnent. The money is all spent at home and is put where it is needed re gardless of population. Tl'lis is clearly shown by the Rexford Vahk trail built through a country which has no settlers along its route, but affords an outlet for the upper Vahk basin to the nearest railroad point and is today used en tirely by the people of the northern end of our county in reaching the outside world. It Is also shown in the Gateway-Warland trail on the west side of the river, which l scarcely serves a half dozen settlers a along its course, but makes an inm portant link in a through highway f u1) and down the river. Before concluding this article it I would not be complete if we failed v to note the difference between the c regime under the former supervisor f6 and that now prevailing. Then tl the administration of the reserve tl was clothed in much secrecy and the newspaper man with a "nose b For news," received scant- atten- 0 tion. Under the present reign the o work is as open as the day, and it publicity is courted in all matters p in which the public is interested. it Upon our initiative Mr. Skeels jt )laced his records before the Herald nan and gave him any further in ornmation desired. We want to it otmpliment him upon the broad- ne ninded plan pursued by him in the to idministration of his office and at his praise is given him as freely as ta vas his treatment of the writer. cc SUIT STARTED OVER PLACERS Valuable Ground the Bone of Contention.---Every Active Mining Camp has its Litiga tion, and Libby is Getting in Fashion. One of the evidences of a pros perous mining camp is mining liti gation. An important piece of litigation involving some valuable placer properties on Libby creek, and damages to the amount of some seven thousand dollars was started on August i6th by F. N. Campell, and his associates repres enting some St. Joseph Mo., cap italists, against John H. Town and Win. Criderman. The trouble seems to have aris en over the title of ',hout i6o acres of placer ground on Libby creek, which Town and Criderman claimed and had contracted to sell to Campbell. It now transpires that the Libby Placer company claims the grounds and doubtless the real ownership of this valuable placer will be ad jldicatcd in connection with the pending damage ,suit. The values lately shown to pre vail through this placer field, are more than flattering, all along Lib by creek, for a distance of several miles both ways from Old Town. And while big developments and flattering production are being made by the Libby Placer Co. and the Comet Placer and several others working along the creek; till bigger things are promised in the near future. Another year will doubtless see t Lwo or three more hydraulic and! Iredging plants installed in thisi ,lacer field, in addition to the three ,ig hydraulic plants now operating. j Strike on the Hidden Treasure Geo. Hathaway has just re t.mied to town from his Hidden Treasure claim at the head of Iib by creek, where he has been doing some development work. The news he brings with him is of the most encouraging nature. At a depth of 200 feet he has brok en into an ore body which bids fair to mean much for the camp. The vein shows six feet of ore and neither wall has been touched, the ore carrying gold, silver, copper and some lead. Free gold can be seen in many pieces shot down from the face of the lead. The recent work done has been but twenty feet when the ore body was broken into, and this strike came by reason of the fact that be fore this last work was undertaken the tunnel was cut to the west and the ore body was encountered. Ilow far the 200-foot tunnel has been paralleling this ore shoot is, oT course, not known until a series of crosscuts have been made. We may look for some further important "developments on this property at"iny\ time, as it is the intention to follow up the strikel just made with further work. t W. J. Sprague of Warland was' in Libby Monday on school busi- t ness. A movement is on foot to e take a part of the Jennings district c and annex it tg Warland and es tablish an adcdlonal school to ac :ommodae a number of children a who are now very much inconven- C enced in their school facilities. ruder the new registration law J uotaric, public are allowed 25 :cnts for each voter registered, but lie official is required to wait until ifter election before being paid I mnd then receives only the fee fori _ ach registered person who votes. i TROY TO HAVE SHIPPING MINE Building Roads and Bridges, at Big Eight.---Great Bodies of Ore Exposed and Property is Ready to Go to Market. County Commissioner Pratt visit ed Troy last Thursday and Friday, on road business. Manager McCaffery of the Big Eight is building about a mile and a half of road to connect the mine with the county road leading to Troy and the county will put in two bridges on the road, one ac ross Hale creek and the other ac ross Gordon. Both will be good substantial bridges, each about Ioo feet long, This road is being opened up so that the Big Eight' may begin shipping ore and the same road will serve the B. & B. an adjoining property. Mr. Pratt during the trip, took occasion to visit the Big Eight property and examine the work going on Over ioo tons of ship ping ore are now on hand and great bodies of clean ore are ex posed in various parts of the work ings. A crosscut tunnel cuts the vein and this has been drifted in both ways from the crosscut prob ably 500 feet. At one point five feet of solid zinc ore is exposed. In the face of each drift the vein is between five and six feet in width, of which nearly three jeet is clean shipping ore and the bal ance concentrating. The property has all the ear marks of a big thing in mining, in the opinion of Mr. Pratt, who is one of the best mining engineers of the state. An immense amonunt ore has been exposed and the vein shows up strong for several hun dred feet without reaching the end of the shoot. Troy will be the shipping point and is about eight miles from the mine. When the property is equipped with machinery and working at its capacity it will of ford a big payroll for the town and community, and be a decided stim ulus in encourgaging the develop mient of other properties in the same vicinity. Jos. Felton of Spokane this week visited the Bunker Hill group on Leigh creek, in which property he is interested with other Spokane men. During his visit he let a contract to Geo. McKay to extend the tunnel 50 feet further. The property is looking exceptionally well, and this contract is the first of a total of 500 feet to be tun this winter. Items from West Fisher Camp We are indebted to Ed Bowman for some West Fisher news. The company now having the Blacktail group is repairing the stamp mill and fixing up three set tling tanks for cyaniding. John Fredericks will resume work on his claim above the Black tail, next week. Some of the fin est specimens of the camp have come from the Fredrick claim. Wm. Williams and Jos. Allen are doing development work on Great Northern mountain. Active work is going on on the Anna claim, under the direction of F. J. Hibbard. This is one of the most promising properties of the ,amp. A tunnel is in on the lead 7o feet, the vein carrying from iS uches to two feet of rich free-mill ng ore. It is the intention to (Continued on last pgge.)