The Libby herald., August 24, 1911, Image 1

About The Libby herald. (Libby, Mont.) 1911-1913

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

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.)