Show THE importance OF ROSSLAND british columbia camp that Is producing millions special correspondence seattle wash dec 26 rossland in southeastern british columbia where tile the mines are adding between and annually to the worlds wealth is the scene of the highest and most practical development according to charles P chamberlin of this city who also states that the camp offers greater opportunities today for investment of capital than ever before in its history A thousand men are at work in the mines and on prospects and more will be added as development progresses gr esses mr chamberlin who is familiar with every mining camp callup in the northwest was formerly deputy united states marshal for eastern washington was later receiver of the central washington railroad and subsequently associated with J D farrell vice president of the oregon washington railroad navigation company in the railroad business and private mining enterprises the rossland mines have paid more than in dividends mr air chamberlin says adding while this alino amount is not large in comparison with the gross value of the ore produced it should be known that all the mines in that camp started with small working capital and that the cost of the extensive development and equipment was carried by profits from the ore production today the mines are equipped with the most modern apparatus and electrical power is furnished at a cost of from 30 to 35 a horsepower hors power annually the reason that prospects are more favorable for rossland now than in 1894 or during several years thereafter is that meritorious properties which in the early history of the camp were held at impossible prices can now be obtained on conditions favorable to investors the cost of mining freight and treatment rendered 30 ore barely profitable during the early days but with the building of better wagon roads 25 ore became the shippers limit the leroi mining company whose stock was owned exclusively in spokane made a contract in 1897 through james breen of spokane with mr air augustus Hei heinze of butte to treat tons of its ore at a smelter to be built by him at trail at 11 a ton which including indirect charges meant about 16 a ton since then the freight and treatment rates have been steadily reduced until today the ores of the camp are being treated at the trail smelter owned by the canadian consolidated mining and Si Sm elting melting company at to 4 a ton according to the character of the ore no such favorable freight and treatment rates are to be obtained in any other comp in canada or the united states of which I 1 have any knowledge the inauguration of this most wise policy on the part of the smelters shelters sm elters has resulted in a greatly increased tonnage from the mines as it has made the mining of large bodies of low grade ore commercially profitable since I 1 came to the pacific coast in 1882 1 I have seen butte turned down twice the coeur dalene district in northern Ici idaho allo absolutely abandoned the slocan district of british columbia considered a failure for ten years and the republic camp in northeastern washington characterized as an absolute fraud these camps have since made good and each is making good today I 1 believe rossland will do just as well ore was discovered in rossland in 1887 but the real development work was not begun until 1890 the first shipment being made in 1894 since then the camp has produced tons of copper gold ore of a gross value of more than the mines which produced the bulk of that immense wealth in sixteen years are the le roi war eagle center star le roi no 2 josie and iron mask smaller producers include the jumbo giant black bear 0 K I 1 X L evening star cliff columbia kootenai mayflower homestake Home stake bluebird and several others the combined superficial area of the claims which produced importantly is less than acres when I 1 first saw rossland in 1900 it was a typical western mining town the visitor would be shown forty or more saloons one of which had bar fixtures costing listen to hector mcrae tell so some me funny stories hear alexander dick discuss basic formations have teddy durant of the british american corpora corporation pointed out to him shown any quantity of grab samples and ore specimens introduced to several poker games and after tile the lights were turned on various other points of interest toward the south belt if the visitor made inquiries about mining properties his Pt attention was directed toward red courtain mouri mour tain and he was told that whittaker wright had paid for the leroi mine rossland today presents an entirely different side to the visitor you note at once the absence of certain characteristics that were formerly thought necessary in a mining milling town instead you see a wll well built city with every modern convenience its excellent climate makes it even in winter an ideal residence town and around it is built up a great farming and fruit raising industry |