Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 21

Author:
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History
Number of Pages: 992

USA > Washington > Chelan County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 21
USA > Washington > Ferry County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 21
USA > Washington > Okanogan County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 21
USA > Washington > Stevens County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 21

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"There is no comparison to be made," said Mr. Lyman, "with Vermont, as against Washington marble, in variety and colors. Washington is certainly in the lead of all marble producing countries, and so far as the quality and quantity are concerned there is a great abundance of it here; in fact it is inexhaustible and it is evidenced from growing demands for building ma- terial for fine finish, that the builders of the country must, eventually, as a matter of necessity, come to the state of Washington for their supply."

It is not now a question of transportation because the west, so far as marble is concerned, can compete with the east in furnishing its products to the market.

The process of extracting the various dimen- sions of marble is at once interesting and in- structive. There is no blasting in this delicate quarry work. All marble must be drilled out. This is accomplished by means of steam drills. To raise a block intact and free from fracture a succession of holes must be drilled around the block. A "broaching" bit is then substi- tuted for the drill, and the partitions between the drill holes are cut out. The block is then loose, and is lifted by means of a powerful derrick onto a car running on a tramway built for the purpose, from the quarry to the mill, where it is placed under the stone gang saw. This saw is a sash apparatus which carries as high as fifty blades if necessary. The saws are adjusted to cut whatever dimensions are re- quired. When sawed the marble slabs, or blocks, are passed on to the rubbing bed; the face of the stone is reduced to a smooth sur- face, and it is ready for boxing and shipment.

For the manufacture of pottery, terra cotta, sewer pipe and brick the county contains large deposits of suitable clays. Clays which make an excellent cement when mixed with limestone also abound. The clays which occur around Clayton are being used by the Washington Brick, Lime and Manufacturing Company for purposes of terra cotta, sewer pipe and brick. Here the company have an extensive plant affording employment to a large number of men. Good pottery clays are found in the same locality that are utilized by the Standard Stoneware Company, the plant of which is located at Clayton in the manufacture of all kinds of pottery ware. Limestone suitable for the manufacture of lime is found at Valley- Brook, an excellent grade of lime being pro- duced.

Reverting to the subject of marble it may be said that the Crystal Marble Company is one of the few corporations of this sort in the west whose operations have passed the experimental stage. Although the first location was made in

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HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

June, 1899, the present company was not in- corporated until August, 1901. The work of legitimate development has been constantly and consistently prosecuted until at the present time no question exists as to the ability of the quar- ries to produce a marble of exceptional value in quantities so great that the out- put need only be limited by the extent of the operations. The quarries of which five large ones have been opened and put into condition for immediate production are located about nine miles southwest of the town of Colville. and the land held by the company covers an extent of 1340 acres, or an area as great as sixty-seven full mining claims, or more than eight farms of 160 acres each. This prop- erty is not scattered but is in one block, and is heavily wooded with pine, cedar and fir timber of excellent size. This asset of the company alone is a very valuable one; but when consid- eration is taken of the fact that it is almost cer- tain that this vast area is entirely underlaid with marble of high quality, the value of the timber sinks into comparative insignificance. Recent borings in the vicinity show a depth of I I00 feet vertical of crystaline limestone or mar- ble and the continuity of the material for the working of many generations-perhaps cen- turies-is thereby assured. The contour of the country at and surrounding the quarries of the Crystal Marble Company is all that could be de- sired. Two excellent roads of easy grade lead down to Colville and Addy on the Spokane Falls & Northern Railway. For the near fu- ture a spur to the quarries has been promised, and railroad rates have been secured which will allow the product to be shipped as far east as the Mississippi river and lake points.

The Crystal Marble Company is incorpor- ated under the laws of the state of Washington. with offices at Colville. The officers are Robert E. Lee, president, C. W. Winter, treasurer, F. H. Chase. manager, Symons Block. Spokane, C. F. Conrady, vice president and C. A. Mantz. secretary. It is reported that Larson & Green-

ough recently paid for a one-quarter interest in the property $25,000.

The officers of the Keystone Marble Com- pany, another promising quarry, are E. M. Heifner, president; William E. Richardson, joint judge of Spokane and Stevens counties, vice president ; W. L. Sax, secretary and treas- urer ; S. S. Beggs, J. F. Lavigne, George Bell, W. R. Baker and T. F. O'Leary, trustees. The Eureka Marble Quarries, now the property of the Keystone Marble Company, are situated about sixteen miles north of Colville, in Stev- ens county, and in the foot-hills of the Pend d' Oreille range of mountains. Bossburg, ten miles distant, is the nearest railway station, with an easy grade. These properties comprise the Eureka No. I, Eureka No. 2, Eureka No. 3 and Eureka No. 4. Each of these claims is 600 feet in width by 1,500 feet in length and the aggre- gate area covered is about eighty acres of pure marble. An estimate of the character and values of these properties is, indeed, flattering. It is claimed that this vast deposit is capable of producing a quality of marble superior to the finest statuary product of Italy. Only the Ver- mont quarries furnish it, and that in limited quantities. It is said that the product will com- mand an average of $12 per cubic foot at any point in America, and it is no more expensive to take this marble from its resting place than it is the cheaper qualities. Ordinarily white marble is worth from $4 to $10 per cubic foot to the trade. Aside from the pure white the Keystone carries a variety of colored marble ranging from the most delicate tints to deep gray, mottled and white. There are also beau- tiful pinks and deeper shades showing brilliant effects when when polished. Facility for pro- duction is excellent. This feature has been ex- amined by Mr. George Bell, who enjoys a long experience as an artificer in stone, especially marble. It is his testimony that the stone is substantially in place, and that it has not been broken up, checked or shattered by volcanic action, or other subterranean disturbances. He

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stated that all atmospheric effect ceased at a depth of from six to twenty feet below the sur- face, and that beneath these depths the marble is solid in texture, meeting every requirement as to pressure and expansion, and is susceptible of the most delicate carvings and the most soft and beautiful polish. It is estimated that $20,000 will place a plant of marble-working machinery on these properties that will afford substantial results from the sale of the product.

The Columbia River Marble Company has acquired title to 1,300 acres of marble land. This is a mountain of marble; resembles no other deposit in this country and is an inex- haustible mass which cannot be estimated in cubic feet without making the figures look ridiculously large. The marble rises in giant cliffs, spreads in broad, smooth floors, and is present upon every foot of the tract owned by the company. This property lies one hundred miles north of Spokane, three miles from Boss- burg, and just across the Columbia river from the Spokane Falls & Northern railway which is a part of the Great Northern trans-conti- nental line. From the marble bluffs a cable tram will land blocks of any desired size upon the cars on the opposite side of the stream. Its proximity to transportation adds largely to the value of the property. The greater portion of the marble is cream-tinted, with occasional bold markings of black and often delicate trac- ings and pencilings of the latter. It is close knit, solid at the very surface, semi-translucent and a fine crystalled marble. It takes a plate glass polish without the application of expen- sive materials. This peculiar cream-tinted marble is identical in appearance with the world-famous Pavanazza marble of Italy. With American architects the Italian Pa- vanazza is popular, and they are using it abund- antly in interior decorative work in eastern cities. The officers of the Columbia River Mar- ble Company are George W. White, of New York, president; Thomas H. Greenway, of Onyx, Washington, vice-president, and Jesse

L. Bishop, of Spokane, secretary. Mr. Green- way was the first to discover and develop mar- ble in Washington, and Mr. Bishop was for three years at the head of the office force of the United States Marble Company, of Spokane. One of the most valuable locations of the Co- lumbia Company is "Spion Kop," a round- topped mountain of marble, every cubic inch of which is high grade material, rivalling the best Italian marble.

Of this deposit Conner Malott, city editor of the Spokesman-Review has written :

A deposit of marble has been found in Stevens county that is nothing short of amazing in size and in the variety of the ornamental stone which it contains. It lies along the bluffs on the west shore of the Columbia river, two miles above Bossburg, and to measure it by metes and bounds would be almost impossible. A vast deposit of the rock extends for nearly two miles and has been exposed over a surface of more than one thousand acres. Throughout the whole property marble outcrops at the very surface in broad, smooth floors or in mighty bluffs, of a size that seem incredible. At Spion Kop, the highest point where it is exposed, there is a cliff of white marble nearly a quarter of a mile long that rises almost as sheer as the side of a house, for two hundred feet.

There are tombstones for unborn millions in that huge wall alone.

The property was examined pretty thoroughly by Thomas H. Greenway, superintendent of the United States Marble Company, and he has spent more or less time on it since. Mr. Greenway and C. E. Mitchell organized a corporation to work the property. They called it the Columbia River Marble Company, and they have started development. The company has secured title to 1,230 acres of marble land. There is very little wash on the property and the marble outcrops to the air in hundreds of places. It shows upon the hillside in al- most perfectly plane floors that are like the top of a table in smoothness and freedom from cracks. Then in the cliffs, such as those on Spion Kop, it breaks away in precipices that make one almost too dizzy to look down upon.

The marble is of many grades. At the southern portion of the property it is a hard, white crystal, not unlike loaf sugar in color and texture, though it takes a fine polish. It is peculiarly hard and is perhaps best adapted for exterior building purposes. Toward the middle of the property it gives way to a mottled stone. where the white rock is shot through with streaks and patches of a darker tone. There seems to be no limit to the white and mottled stone. Mr. Greenway con- fidently declares that with a few channeling machines

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at work he can turn out marble at such low cost that it could compete with granite as a building material in Spokane. He declares that he can keep dimension stock in yards in Spokane so cheaply that a man wanting a stone step or a sill for a door can get it of marble at the price he would have to pay for ordinary building rock. If a quarter of what Mr. Greenway confidently expects should come true marble from the Columbia river quarries will soon be a staple in the building trade throughout the northwest. It is not all marble of such a character, however. At the north of the property, between Spion Kop and the river, there is a deposit of cream-colored stone which is too rare ever to be used for common work. Marble men say that it most re- sembles the Pavanazza marble of Italy. It is a faintly colored stone, partly translucent, and its color tones are exquisite. It will always be used for the highest grade of interior finish. Mr. Greenway expects it will be the product which will give the widest fame to the quarries, and certainly it is a wonderfully beautiful stone.

Nestled within the confines of the property are two delightful little lakes, one of which has long been known to the Indians for its curative qualities. It is surrounded on every side by marble outcrops, and it is probably the only place in the world where the noble Siwash has bathed himself in a marble bathtub.

The Jefferson Marble, Mining & Milling Company was incorporated under the laws of the state of Washington on the 28th day of August, 1899, by the discoverers of the first deposit of marble. The present officers are D. J. Zent, Colville, president ; Samuel Hutchin- son, Lind, Washington, vice-president ; George J. Heimbach, Colville, treasurer ; W. W. Zent, Ritzville, Washington, secretary. The trustees are S. Ott, W. W. King, George H. Kanzler, H. E. Hill, W. W. Zent. The marble property acquired is comprised in three claims known as the "Lilywhite," "Sunnyside," and the "Unex- pected." These were taken under the placer regulations and each contains twenty acres. The company's property is in the Colville Min- ing district, situated between the north and south forks of Clugston creek, fourteen miles by wagon road north of Colville. The com- pany now owns 450 acres, or twenty-two claims, together with the exclusive water right on Clugston creek, and plenty of timber for lumber and fuel for many years to come.

This marble has a specific gravity of 2.736,

and 171 pounds to the cubic foot in weight, or 13. I feet per ton. It has a resisting strength of 2,100 pounds to the cubic inch. There are twelve distinct colors varying from dark blue to pure statuary white. There are, also, pink, rose and mottled grades, all susceptible of a high polish. The company enlisted the services of a very capable and thorough mining engi- neer, Mr. Charles Carruthers, a graduate of the Royal School of England, who made careful and scientific examinations. This was done be- fore any great amount of money was expended. The result of each examination and test is said by the officers of the company to have been highly satisfactory. The price of this marble ranges from $3 to $15 per cubic foot f. o. b. at Colville. The price depends upon the color, quality and quantity purchased.

The Jefferson Company owns, also, four mineral claims, carrying carbonates and silver. The principal one, the Comstock, is recog- nized as one of the most promising proposi- tions in the district. There are 250 feet of tunnel, 20 feet of winze and 35 feet of drift, making a total of 365 feet of underground work, together with an ore chute 500 feet in length. This property is about one mile south and east of the marble quarries.

Among other marble prospects under de- velopment are a number of most flattering lo- cations in Stevens county. The Chewelah Marble Company, seven miles southeast of Northport, is about ready to ship its product, as is, also, the Allen Marble Company, two miles south of the same city. The United States Marble Company, twelve miles west of Valley. is quite an extensive concern, producing several varieties of varigated stone for which it finds a ready market. The Great Western Company, eight miles west of Addy, is just beginning to market its product, while the North American, west of Valley, and the Colonial, six miles west of Addy, do not as yet ship any marble, but ex- pect to do so at an early day.

During the month of October, 1903, the

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United States Marble Company closed two im- portant deals, one in Seattle and the other in New York, for the sale of $21,000 worth of their Italian green marble. The Seattle con- tract called for $11,000 worth of the marble from the quarries of the United States Com- pany to be used in decorating the entrance of the Lumber Exchange, in the coast city. The following day an order was received from New York for five car-loads in the rough, involving a purchase price of $10,000.

In 1890 the initial lime kiln was placed in commission in Stevens county for the purpose of burning lime for the trade. Previous to that period all the lime for building purposes was brought from Puget Sound. Today the Stevens county kilns supply the demands of nearly all of Eastern Oregon, Washington, Idaho and a part of British Columbia. The Springdale Lime Works, having kilns also at Clayton, are the largest on the Pacific coast and are said to produce the best quality of lime on the market.

THE METALINE DISTRICTS.

The original search for mineral in Wash- ington dates from an early day. It had been followed in a desultory manner since the first excitement attending the discovery of placer claims in the vicinity of Oro Fino, Idaho. So early as 1858 Indians attacked and turned back several parties of miners attempting to make .their way to the northward of Colville Valley in search of alleged bonanzas lying across the boundary. Owing to this fact a number of these would-be prospectors and miners located in the Colville Valley; sought other lines of in- dustry and became influential and respected citizens, contributing much to the upbuilding of the country.

For a number of years following the rather indefinite and unsuccessful pursuit of the yel- low metal stories continued to be rife of ex- ceedingly rich exposures of outcroppings, and

these tales continued to fan the flames of inter- est in the locality now known as Colville. The Kootenays had not been discovered. The rich mineralized sections of the Coeur d' Alenes had been merely scratched by prospectors, although some faint idea of the value of the district was beginning to be realized. Northeastern Wash- ington was, practically, unexplored. About this period Patrick and William Kearney advanced into this vicinity on a prospecting trip. They had been told of the existence of mineral in some sequestered spot of what was in that day the Territory of Washington. This informa- tion had been conveyed to them by Indians. According to fairly well authenticated tradi- tion they were out in search of this legendary gold deposit.

It was in March, 1885, that the Old Do- minion mine, a gold, silver and lead proposi- tion, was discovered, probably the original quartz location in Eastern Washington. The history of its discovery is interesting. The two Kearneys, accompanied by A. E. Benoist, were first encouraged by indications of mineral found on the mountain upon which is now lo- cated the Nevada and New Era group of mines. An expert might term the discovery highly scientific ; a "tenderfoot" will, doubtless, pro- nounce it a pure run of luck. It was the winter season ; the slopes of the mountain range, sheering off to the northeast, afforded a most picturesque view ; a panorama painted by the hand of nature, and one of the many which brighten the scenic perspective of the entire state of Washington.

By taste, experience and, perhaps, the strong influence of heredity, Mr. Benoist was a genuine and an ardent prospector ; one of those sanguine natures with a vivid imagina- tion in the line of mineral exploitation. It is said today that never was he inactive while among the foot-hills or the mountains, a rest- less, eager hunter for the gleam of treasure. On the west side of the river he had discovered outcroppings. From the summit of the nearest

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peak which he immediately ascended he took his bearings to the northward. In his mind was firmly implanted the idea that upon this fissure there was certain to be an overflow, and at that spot he would gain all the wealth he desired.

But there sprung up among this trio of gold seekers a radical difference of opinion. The two Kearneys declared that Benoist was demented. But not yet did they decide to de- sert him. With rapid steps the three men set out and walked a killing pace for two days. The third day found them seated on a sunny slope at the south end of the Old Dominion, at that time called Colville Mountain. The con- versation between the three prospectors was heated and the debate all one-sided so far as weight of opinion was concerned. The two Kearneys were disgusted and were trying seduously to persuade Benoist to return with them to the confines of civilization. But he re- mained obdurate. He declared himself deter- mined to prosecute his original idea, saying en- thusiastically that somewhere on that mountain must be the overflow of which he was in search. Weary, footsore and discouraged the Kearneys who had determined to abandon Benoist, loi- tered upon the pleasant spot where they had paused for temporary relaxation from the heavy strain upon them. Idly they swung their prospecting picks in a vain endeavor to convice Benoist of the errors of his calcula- tions. A sharp point of rock was broken from the glacial covering of soil. It proved to be mineralized. The expert Benoist hastily pro- claimed the discovery. He proceeded to inves- tigate the extent of the deposit. Half an hour later stakes were driven and the Old Dominion mine was located-a mine which produced over $500,000 in silver, lead and gold during the same year of its discovery. There were four original locators named in the filing, as neither the Kearneys nor Benoist possessed capital, and each of these for several years enjoyed an in- come of $8,000 a month.

At the time he first observed the outcrop- ping Benoist is credited with saying :

"There is plenty of mineral in this hill, but we are too poor to fool with it, because we will have to give some of it away to get money to develop it."

Benoist also contended that if they had con- tinued south on the same contact they would have found a mine as good as the Old Domin- ion. The Deer Trail group of mines have been developed upon the same contact but in a southerly direction from the original discovery. For four years they produced liberally and of a quality of ore identical with that of the Old Dominion.

Writing in 1895 Mr. John B. Slater con- tinues the description of the Old Dominion mine, bringing it down to that date. It will be observed by the reader that he gives credit to W. H. Kearney, A. E. Benoist and E. E. Alexander for its discovery and location. He says :

"Stevens county since its earliest settle- ments were made, over fifty years ago, has been known as a mineral country, but it remained for more advanced civilization to take the first steps in development of the resources in that direction. It was in the month of March, 1885, that the discovery of the Old Dominion was made by W. H. Kearney, A. E. Benoist and E. E. Alexander upon the east end of what is now known as Old Dominion mountain, six miles east of the town of Colville. They had traced a limestone and granite contact over the country for many miles in search of mineral, but were attracted to a spot on the point of the mountain where the snow had melted from the ground. It was at this point that the three prospectors, while discussing the lay of the beautiful pan- orama of country that lay to the south and west, saw croppings of rich ore projecting from the crevices along the brow of the cliff beneath their feet. The trained eye of the experienced prospector seized the fragments of the precious

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HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

metal that had been so mysteriously revealed, with exultations of joy that knew no bounds. The location was staked off and named the Old Dominion. With their own hands these prospectors extracted several tons of the ore, and with the assistance of friends, secured transportation for it to San Francisco, where it was given a thorough test and netted them nearly $3,000.

"This discovery attracted the attention of the whole west to the mineral fields of Wash- ington for the first time, and since that day a steady growth has characterized the industry; and the world has never lost interest in the merit and extent of its development and pro- duction. As has been frequently said, the Old Dominion has paid from the grass roots. From the day of its discovery it has been in active operation, during a period of ten years (or since 1885). It had not one dollar of capital to start with, but it has been the means of lay- ing the foundation for the fortunes of hun- dreds of people who now live happily and con- tented with themselves beneath the shadow of the great mountain which bears its name. In 1892 Mr. G. B. Dennis, one of the best known financiers of the Pacific slope, who has had vast experience in the development of a number of the greatest mining enterprises in the country, examined this property with a view to ascer- tain its possible extent and value, hoping that the information thus obtained might serve him to great advantage in making investments and developing other enterprises in the country. He was so much pleased with it that he resolved to purchase it. After repeated efforts Mr. Dennis and his associates in the transaction succeeded in effecting a purchase of the property for a large sum of money. Mr. Dennis, through his intimate relations with the money centers of the east, and by a long established reputation for integrity, great executive ability and busi- ness foresight, coupled with indomitable energy and unsurpassed skill in the management and control of great enterprises, immediately or-

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Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 21

Author: Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History Number of Pages: 992

Author:
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History
Number of Pages: 992