Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • Page 14

14 OAKLAND TRIBUNE HOLIDAY EDITION HOLIDAY EDITION CONTRA COSTA A CENTER FOR MANY MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES i. 'v a v. .1 i v-? I ill Pacific Construction Company of 4 Call-steel and the entire work has been done and the entire work has been done under the personal supervision of C. F. McCarthy, the president of the company.

r. While in Martinez a TRIBUNE representative Interviewed Hon. W. S. Tunning, president of the Bank of Martinez, Because of his long experience In the county, his views should be.

of especial interest He said: "Truly, I never saw the time when Contra Costa County was in so flourishing a condition as at the present time, or its prospects were as bright. The advent of the Bay Couties Power Company and the pipe lines of the Standard Oil Company will give us power at as low a price as can be obtained in the manufacturing centers of the East. This will no doubt prove an incentive for new enterprises to come in. I do not know positively what the output of our industries amount to, but in the aggregate they are enormous. I am told that they amount to over $75,000,000 annually.

"The fishing Industry is one which has not been thoroughly recognized. There are nearly 1000 boats engaged in this industry representing, I suppose, an Investment in the way of Alameda's Sister County Also En joys the Unprecedented Reign of Prosperity Its Miles of Water Front Add to the Increasing Value of I Its Peerless 5oil rectly by Its own railroad, about one mile long, to the Southern Pacific and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway systems, and by Its own wharves on Suisun Bay with deep water, placing it In a position to receive ores from any part of the world, both inland and by sea. With such competition it is in a position to almost dictate its own terms as regards freight rates, the benefits of which naturally accrue to the shipper. CHANGE OF MANAGEMENT? Within the past few weeks a change has taken place in the management of the company's affairs. J.

G. Hatily, one of America's best known mining is now in charge, and it is confidently anticipated that he will make a grand success of this enormous enterprise. G. H. Hand, the secretary, will continue in his present position and supervise the clerical details.

From Black Diamond and Pittsburg are railroads reaching to the coal mines of Stewartsville, SommervIHe and Black Diamond, where nearly men find- employment. Near Antioch are salmon and fruit canneries which give employment to a large force of men. In their entirety the industries of Contra Costa County, exclusive of farming produce annually nearly and give employment to over 15,000 people, which is not a bad showing for a young community. COMMUNITY OF INTERESTS. It shoulf.

not be forgotten that the commercial interests of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties are largely identical. What is necessary for the welfare of one is, to a large extent necessary to the welfare of the other. The merchants of Oakland have recognize 2 this fact for years. Unfortunately the farmers of Contra Costa County have found it difficult to reach Oakland on account ofjthe high range of hills which form the boundary of the two counties. The-only thing possible to do in order that a good road might be obtained was to tunnel the hills.

THE TUNNEL ROAD. Tunnelling the hills means an expenditure of $70,000 and then an expedient road, the heaviest grade being less than nine pef cent, would be the result. Such a road would give an outlet for the best table apricots in COUNTY COURT HOUSE AT ery and appliances for the economical treatment of ores have been installed. USE OF CRUDE OIL. It was this company which first successfully experimented with the use of crude oil as a fuel in its furnaces, although it was an almost accepted fact that it could not be utilized in that direction.

However, the managers proved it could be done, and have since that time used no other fuel of any kind for any purpose. It is a noteworthy feature that the company will not receive any ores for treatment unless the shipper or his representative is present to watch tne shipping, a point which has been greatly appreciated. This does away with the usual method employed in the purchase of. custom ores. It is customary for most smelters to alone decide upon the value of the ore and settle with the shipper accordingly.

But this cruses so much dissatisfaction that the managers of the Copper King determined to adopt the policy of, jointly with the shipper, sampling and assaying the ore, so that no question could afterwards arise that would tend to put them in a bad light. MODERN METHODS. Every department about the works shows an air of and economy from the sampling room to the converters. The ore is first put through a huge Blake crusher, equal in capacity to the furnaces. From there it is taken up by a belt conveyer to the bins, being sampled automatically by other cross belts and buckets en route.

The samples taken are conveyed by similar means to the sample bins, from which they are drawn to the sampling floor an3 quartered down by the most generally accepted methoi to the proper size for the bucking board. After this process the sample is divided into three or more portions, one portion taken by the shipper or his representative for check assaying and the others laid aside for the company'? own laboratory tests. The ore is then taken from the bins and, if roasting i7 necessary, is fed automatically in the large calcine furnaces. These furnaces are of the latest and most approved pattern and have a roasting capacity of eighty tons each daily. After the calcinating process the ore is delivered, with various flux and other ores, to the reverberatory furnaces.

AN AMUSING INCIDENT. These furnaces are the largest in use in the world, being 48x18 feet in di-mentions. An amusing incident is told apropos of these monsters. An eminent Swansea smelter man who was making a tour of the United States getting points on the smelting of cupriferous ores heard of the furnaces and came from Butte. Montana, The 1 Within the laat few years CJontra Costa County has enjoyed an era of prosperity equal to that of any county in the State.

It has had a healthy, steady growth and Its citizens ha-te awakened to the realization of the county's possibilities. The outlook for the future is bright Indeed. The large ranches for which the county has been' famous for years, have been subdivided Into smaller holdings, whlcW, of course, means oc cupation by settlers. Manufacturing has Increased very perceptibly and on the whole the county is now enjoying the greatest measure of prosperity of its history. Farm mortgages been greatly reduced or entirely obliterated and thousands of people are profitably employed in the work shops.

Probably no county In the State offers to the farmers as great opportunities for diversity of products as does Contra Costa County. Irrigation is mot found necessary and, like all of the bay counties, there is a sufficient rain fall for the production of paying crops. Still, when -the raintall is well vstributed throughout the winter months, as has been the case during the past few years, the farmer i finds mat he nas not only earned a living, but a handsome balance as well. As an evidence of the truth of this, the statement of the cashier of the Bank of Martinez ought to bear weight. In a recent conversation with the writer, he said: "We have now over $600,000 on deposit, the greatest amount of deposit in the history of the bank.

This is largely the deposits of farmers who have paid off their and barrowers are few. Where the formers were formerly borrowers, they now have money to lend." From this county a large proportion of the hay which is exported from San Francisco to Hawaii and the Orient is raised, it having been demonstrated that it holds Its food properties better than other hay, during an ocean voyage. Consequently there is always a demand for' Contra Costa County hay. Then, too, the butter made there has a State and national reputation, the butter maker being able to produce an article throughout the year equal to the best June butter made in Central New York. All of this tends to prove that the county is nature's home for cattle.

The Intelligent farmer who will make a. study of his soil, raising wheat, barley, hay, and such diciduous -fruits as will best thrive on the rolling lands, according to the exposure, and allow a few hogs and some poultry to feed on the offal and waste, can do exceedingly well, but the farmer who has the idea that nature is going to do it all for him should remain away. Nature will do much. She has already laid the foundation. It remains for the "1iands ana brain of man to do the rest.

The county is no longer in an experl- mental stage. It has passed that. It Is now known definitely what every acre will produce. i D. J.

West, a real estate agent of Contra Costa has issued a booklet on the county from which the following extracts will be of interest soil of the hill land is generally a sandy loam, with occasional spots of adobe. The valleys ar rich sands and gravelly loam and sedimentary deposits from the creeks wash from the hills. The delta lands are deposits of sediment and decayed vegetable matter from the rivers, and, when leveled and drained, there is no richer or more productive land anywhere. "The soil on the hills and in the valleys is fine for fruit, grapes, grain, hay, berries, early vegetables and other general crops, without irrigation. ine reclaimed aeua mnus raise anai-fa, potatoes, beans, corn, asparagus and several other varities of marketable vegetables, and in many cases two to four-crops, as the land can be irri Best and Cheapest Lots at Are in the Santa Fe ALL LEVEL ft $5 MONTHLY McEwen Bros.

118 Montgomery Street SAN FRANCISCO. I r- 1 iicnmonu Tract books, and do not probably repiesent the full number of trees and acres of grapes that the county contains. "The principal towns In the county are Martinez, the county seat, 35 miles from San Francisco, population Crockett, 1,300 Pinole, Antioch, Concord, 600; Richmond. 1.S00; Port Costa, Walnut Creek, Clayton, Brentwood, Danville, Almo, Byron, San Pablo, Rodeo, and Sel-by are other small towns scattered about the county, each a center of trade for the country surrounding it. "The assessed value of the county for the year 1902 was $17,069,608, an increase i of about $1,000,000 over the previous year.

The assessed value is supposed to represent about 60 per cent of the actual value. "We have fifty-seven public schools, of which four are high schools. The State University at 'Berkeley is but fifteen -miles from the center of the county." MANUFACTURING. There iare seventy miles of water front in Contra Costa County on the Bay of Francisco, which offers some of the best facilities for manufacturing to be found in California. At Point Richmond the Standard Oil Company has its terminal for its pipe lines and at Olema, the Union Oil Company Its refineries, thus com petition in fuel oil is assured, and to make matters still more positive re- grading cheap power, it may be stated that th Bay Counties Power Company has its wires stretched along the en tire water front, making electrical power a competitor with stenm.

The leading 'manufactured products of tha county are: Papr, chemicals, sugar, metals, brick, lumber, powder, dynamite, canned salmon and fruit, machinery, oil (refined and crude), cartridges, percussion caps, wine, brandy, railroad material, cars, etc. In the county are to be found the largest oil refineries, smelters, flour mills, grain warehouses and brass foundries on the Pacific Coast, and the largest dynamite plant in the world. Regarding shipping facilities, both the Southern Pacific and Sante Fe railroads offer competition to all parts of the United States and every facility is at to load directly on cars or ships. POINT RICHMOND. The manufacturing may be said to tegin at Point Richmond where, but a few years ago, a small village existed.

Now there is a city there and nearly 10,00 inhabitants and when the Standard Oil Company shall have completed its plant, which has been in course of construction during the past year, there will be a population of over 15,000, as these works will give employment to over 2000 hands. The pe troleum from the Southern oil fields Will be converted into the various byproducts at the refinery. This plant is located on part of the old' San Paulo rancho, the company having purchased 100 acres from William Mintzer for its site. The Southern Pacific Railroad Company also purchased from Mintzer fifty acres for yard purposes. There were originally about 1400.

More than 500 acres have been sold within two years for industrial purposes and now there are but 900 acres left. This is being rapidly sold for manufacturing, dwelling and merchantile purposes. The Fast Side Company is about to build a belt line of railway from the Standard Oil refinery, which will be operated the Pacific Coast Oil Company around the five miles of wattr frontage and between Points Malate and San Pablo, where there is a depth water at low tidc; of from to sixty feet. Warehouses and manufactories will be established there and that will increase property values in this locality to a great extent. In fact, the property values throughout the county are on the increase, the assessments being nearly $1,500,000 greater than they were in 1900.

At Sante Fe, where the Sante Fe road has established its terminal point, and where the Southern Pacific. wilJ have nearly forty miles of yard trackage, McKwen Bros, placed a tract of 150 acres of land on the market about two years ago. There were 170' lots in this tract. More than 1000 of them have been sold, and scores of nouses have been built. Stores of all kinds are in evidence and this portion of Point Richmond gives evidence of becoming one of its most thicKly settled districts.

Two years ago the Point Richmond Light and Water Company installed an electric light plant in the town, believing that its facilities would be adequate for the next ten years. Six I -rf R. -wfc 5 -MiZZVS Jul' months ago the plant was taxed to its capacity and the company has been obliged to install new machinery, taking its power from the Buy Counties Electric Company so that by New Years, the Company will be out of the delemma in which the rapid growth of the community had placed it, and be able to meet the detvand.3 for light which it has been unable to meet In the past few months. The activity of Point Richmond Is truly remarkable and if it continues to increase during the next few years as it has in the past two it certainly will become one of the most Important, if hot the greatest, industrial point of the Pacific Coast. Its greatness is already assured.

The city of Richmond promises to become an important suburb. Here, within the past year, the Southern Pacific Railway has been obliged to change the name of the station, from Barrett's to Richmond. A few miles beyond Point Richmond, powder, cap and fuse, match and acid works follows one another in quick succession at Stege. CALIFORNIA VIGORIT POWDER WORKS. The'4 California Vigorit Powder Works at Point Isabella is one of the oldest powder companies in California, but in late years, it has increased its trade with such marvelous rapidity that it now occupies the enviable distinction of being one of the leading producers of dynamite in the United States.

It's output now is about 500,000 pounds monthly. The location of the works, which cover an area of 75 acres, is an ideal one for both ship and rail transportation. Further shipping facilities will shortly be afforded when the Sante Fe Railroad Company erects a depot near the plant. Here seventy-five men are given employment and the number of hands is constantly being increased. The offices of the works are at 318 Front street, San Francisco.

GIANT POWDER WOKKS. At Giant are tha immense powder works of the Giant Powder Company. Its low buildings, remote from one another, cover nearly 300 acres of ground. Here is manufactured black powders of various grades, dynamite and nitro glycerine and over 250 people find employment. The most modern mixing machinery has been installed within the past year, which makes the plant with its excel lent shipping facilities one of the most modern of its kind in the world.

It was here that the dynamite was produced for blowing up Arch rock, in San Francisco harbor, some of which was in the water months before being exploded. At Hercules, a few miles beyond is the largest dynamite plant in the world, that of the California Powder Works. Just beyond Pinole, where the refinery of the Union Oil Company is lo-: catcd. Here is one of the best ship ping in Contra Costa Couty. THE SELBY SMELTING WORKS.

At Selby's is a plant which is known throughout the world, that of the Selby Smelting Works. It 1s the largest private gold refinery in the world, where 400 hanus are employed refining the yellow metal. During 1901, $45,000,000 worth of bullion was refined. Every facility for its enormous business is in evidence and the werk done during the year shows that the gold mining industry is not lagging on the Pacific Coast. A mile beyond Selby's is Val-lejo Junction, where the Southern Pacific Railroad brings the products of the great Napa Valley for shipment to Oakland and San Francisco.

PORT COSTA. One of the most important shipping points in the United States is Port Costa, where for many years the-surplus of the grain crop of California has shipped to all parts of the world. Sea goin? vessels of the greatest draft can land there with ease and safety. Here the great wheat shippers, such as Geo. W.

McNear Balfour Guthrie and Eppinger have millions of dollars invested in wharves and warehouses, where the grain crop of a whole State can be housed and where in the height of the season a couple of hundred thousand tons of wheat and barley are stored. The celebrated Port Costa Flour, manufactured by Geo. W. McNear Company takes its name from this place. Here the Port Costa Lumber Company, which supplies the Sacramento, Napa and San Joaquin valleys is located.

Not far from it at Crockett, on the straights of Carquinez is the great refinery of the California-Hawaiian Sugar Company, which has a capacity for 1.000 tons of beets and 500 tons of cane every day. It is One of the most flourishing industries of the State. The town of Port Costa is one of the most prosperous in Contra Costa County and has a great future before it. MARTINEZ. Martinez is the county seat of Contra Costa County and ranks, commercially speaking, next to Point Richmond in importance.

The educational facilities here are equal to the best found in the State. The homes are modern and the streets well macadamized and beautifully ornamented with shade trees. On the whole, with its salt sea atmosphere, it Is a most delightful city to live In. It is Martinez where the small farmer comes to do his trading and ship his produce to-market. There is being erected at Martinez a new County Court House and Jail, which, when completed, will be the most spacious and elegant public building In this community.

'The Court House is being built on the plans of Havens and Topke, the architects of 65 Flood Building, San Francisco. It Is of Raymond grauite, as is also the jail. The construction contract was let to ths Floii8tene Paper and Pulp Company" on the Truckee river, and that of the True- kee General Electric Comoany. It did the Bay Counties Power Company's work at Carquinez Straits, and did much other work that only a firm of great capital and administrative and executive abi.ity can perform. ALDEN ANDERSON CO.

Prosp-rous Firm Which is Located in the Richest Fruit DFstrict or the State. Those portions of Sacramento and Solano Counties situated on the lower Sacramento river are equalled by few counties, in the State, as fruit Droducers. Tho -iv. fruit farms in the world are found within their borders. Tha shipments of green fruit from these counties are the first in the Eastern market.

Fruit land has here sold, at a thousand dollars an acre. Fruit drying is one of their great industries, immense quantities of prunes, peaches, apricots, pears, plums, are dried yearly and as the fruit acreage continues to increase fruit drying will be much more important than even it is today. As it is from 13,000 to 15,000 tons annually are shipped to all the leading markets of the East and of foreign countries. The principal foreign markets are those of Australia and New Zealand. Large quantities are also shipped to Britsh Columbia, especially since the Klondike began to pour forth" it's treasures, and markets are now opening for it in all the South AmeHcan countries from Panama to Cape 5lorn.

There is still a large area of the shnest fruit lands in the State in Solano County open to the orchadist and their product must largely be dried in order to find a market. Hence, fruit drying, though very important to the agriculturist of this section is still only in the infancy of its development. Millions of capital are invested In fruit drying in both counties and some of the ablest fruit growers in the State are engaged in the business. Among them is the Alden Anderson Company, of which Alden Anderson, the new lieutenant governor is the manager. They make a loading specialty of dried and -also green fruits and are among the largestshippers of the State.

E.B.&A. L.Stone Go. GENERAL CONTRACTORS Lumber, Cement, Building Materials, Etc. AND Fire Insurance OFFICES I 900 BROADWAY Telephone Private Exchange 2 WAREHOUSE AND YARDS: ADAMS' WHARVES, Oakland San Leandre Road TTI BELDEN J. I 1 mT TSm i ne Estate 1 1 12 REFINING WORKS, NEAR MART INEZ.

boats, nets, scows, etc. of over $500,000. mis means tnat upwards of 2000 men find employment in this industry, who increase the output of the county each year by possibly a million and a half to $2,000,000 and contribute vtry largely at both the trade and the wealth of the county. They ply their vocation from Point Richmond to the San Joaquin County line. "Agriculture will always, I believe, be.the leading industry of the county.

and I anticipate a healthy influx of small farmers. Lasds are cheap and yield splendid results, considering their cost. Our hill lands are -admirably adapted for diversified farming, while decidius fruits do very well here. Our table grapes find a good market in the Bast. Our peaches and pears always in demand for table purposes.

The caners pay $5 a ton more for Contra Costa County peaches than they do for those of other localities. Poultry and cattle yield a splendid revenue to the farmers and sugar beets are proving to be profitable also. The level lands in the vicinity of Brentwood and Byron seem to have an additional supply of water to the rainfall from the river percolation. Where summer following in this locality is resorted to it is no uncommon event for the farmer to obtain thirty sacks of wheat to the acre. "We have the best of markets the home market.

San and Oakland are but a few miles away. They take all of our products excepting grain. The market for grain is risht at home. Port Costa being the greatest grain shipping point in the entire West. It is said that you can judge a community by the state of the farmers' pocket books.

As a rule our i 14 1 PACIFIC COAST SMELTING AND formers are wealthy. There are very few mortgages and thi-se are rapidly being paid off. Never in the history of our bank have we had such large deposits, which now amount, I presume to considerable over "As I said before, lands are cheap here, considerig their possibilities. Good lands within twenty miles of Oak land back of San Pablo and Pinole can be had at from $20 to $60 per acre. As an illustration, the bank has 600 acres in that locality which it holds at $20 an acre hill and valley lands on which a farmer who understands his business can do well.

In the vicinity of Brentwood and Byron, choice lands can be purchased at from $50 to $100 per acre." In speaking of the increase of business at Martinez F. L. Cilass the postmaster, said: "The increased receipts of the post office are a fair indication of the business increase of a post office. Three years ago the re-receipts of this office were $3500 a year. The receipts for 1902 will be upwards of $4500.

A new system of boxes has been placed in the office during my incumbency ad this, too, has increased the revenue of the office very materially." Just beyond Martinez are the Peyton Chemical Works, which supply the necessary acids and chemicals used by the powder companies of the county. Then comes the great brass foundry of Garatt Co. which, when operated at its full capacity, will give employment to over 1200 hads. The comes a new and most important industry, the copper smelter of the Copper Kink Mining Company. COPPER KING MINING COMPANY (LIMITED).

Among the many industries lately started on the Pacific Coast, none stands out with such prominence as the Pacific Coast Smelting and Refining Works, owned and operated by the Copper King, Limited, a corporation composed of British American capitalists, an illustration of the works appearing on this page. These smelting works were first put in operation in April, 1901, and have the distinction of producing the first bar of bessermized or conveyer copper ever made on the Pacific Coast, which was duly presented to the State and has been placed in prominence among. the many exhibits' of mine products in the State Mining Bureau. MANY MINES REOPENED. Since the cessation of shipments of copper ores to England, many valuable copper properties and prospects have been idle some have been almost lost sight of.

but with the demonstration that has been made by this company, which proved that by its method low grade ores could be worked at a profit, many of these mines have been reopened and are now deriving handsome Incomes by shipping their ore to this smelter for treatment. The capacity of the smelter at present is estimated at 200 tons Of raw ore per day, about 100 tons 6f which ir shipped from the company's 'owr mines in Fresno county, California. The plant throughout was erected with a view of enlarging its capacity as soon as the influence of this new industry should have been felt throughout this and adjoining States and all the modern Improvements in machln- 7 the State and the best table canning peaches and Bartlett pears, and open a vast amount of trade between the counties. In order to accomplish this the Merchants' Exchange, one of the commercial bodies of Oakland, worked unceasingly for years. It finally accomplished end.

The tunnel is now being built. A hoi? nearly a mile long is being dug through the hills. The Boards of Supervisors of the two counties will each pay two-fifths of the cost, and the merchants of Oakland will pay the remaining one-fifth In this manner Alameda and Contra Costa Counties will becom9 firmly united for all time. WALTER LAYMANGE Real Estate Broker Who Has Made Money in Operations at Richmond. J.

Walter l.aymance is an up-to-date real esiate man, quick to know a good thing when he sees it and always on alert to make bargains for himself and nis patrons. He was one of the pioneers in building up Point Richmond and one of tiie first to see its vast possibilities. He vas connected with the disposal oi cne of the principal tracts in that city, which he aid very successfully and to the satisfaction of all concerned. He has since closed out his interest in the tract, but he has by no means closed his connection with what vill be one of the most flourishing seats of commerce and industry on the Bay of San Francisco. Richmond is growing apace and real estate there has advanced by leaps and bounds.

Mr. Laymance still handles all kinds of propositions Irt the realty line that Point Richmond offers and in these days of activity and prosperity they are many. He is one of the successful realty men of San Francisco and Oakland, and has made money for those have intrusted their interests to him. His headquarters in San Francisco axe at 632 Market street, where he is always glad to see those who want advice on real estate matters. PACIFIC CONSTRUCTION GO.

The Pacific Construction Company, which built the new jail and the Court-House in Martinez, Contra Costa county, huS its headquarters at 4 California street, San Francisco. The firm does general contracting and engineering work and can point to the buildings mentioned which are among the finest in Contra Costa county, as examples of its ability in the building line. The company, of which Chas. F. McCarthy is president, is now build ng for the British Government the new cable station in the Fanning fsiaiijds, south Pacific Ocean.

It is capable of handling contracts in its line on a very large scale. It constructed the works of the Modesto Irrigation District and built -the Court-Houses at Madera. Sonora, Tuolumne county, and Nevada City and the Hall of Records and the High School at Modesto. Its work can be found In the new ferry depot at the foot of Market street, one of the finest bulldi-rgs in the United States. company installed the, plants of the Established 1876 Buswell Paint Co.

MANUFACTURERS OP Bus well Paints -And Colors 9CK2 BROADWAY Phono Main 122 gated from the rivers, if desired. "There were raised in the cov.nty In the year 1901: Wheat, 41,690 acres; oats, 8,170 acres; barley, 20,360 acres; corn, 61 acres; hay, 45,190 acres; ar beets, 2,100 acres. Of fruit trees: Apples, 11,425 trees, apricots, 63,400 trees; cherries, 12,700 trees; figs, 3,450 Leading Kcai Broadway Oakland, Cal. trees, pears, trees; iiunes, 800 trees; lemons, 4T0 trees: oranges, 1,410 trees; almonds, trees; English walnuts, 4,580 trees. Of grapes, both wine nnd table variatios.

ther were about 2,750 acres. Many acres of new vineyards have been replanted within the last year. These figures are taken from the assessor's Martin Go's where he thought he had seen -everything worth seeing, for the special purpose of trying to convince himself that the operation of them was a fact. "On his arrival at the smelter he emphatically declared that it was impossible to smelt successfully in such furnaces. In Swansea they consider that furnaces 6x11 are about as large as can be operated.

Notwithstanding the fact that this great and experienced man saw these furnaces in actual operation, watched the matte being drawn off and watched the slag being drawn off and granulated while in motion, he even then declared that they could not possibly be a success, and when he was told that they had been operated continually for six months, he fled from the building. The next operation, that of besse-merizing, or conveying the matte from a material carrying about 45 per cent copper to one carrying over 99 per cent copper, and it is probably the most interesting feature in metrallurgy of copper. The plant is equipped with two converter stands and eight shells. These are structures almost round in shape and are for the purpose of converting the copper from its baser combinations by means of blowing. The air is compressed and blown in through tuyeres in the sight of the shells by 120 horsepower blowing engines.

This operation oxidizes the silicates of iron formed in the process of matting and leaves the copper, gold and silver in an almost pure state. This is poured into molds and shipped to Eastern refineries for refining. One very interesting piece of machinery is the appliance for handling these enormous converter shells. It is the electric traveling which can pick up with ease a weight of forty tons and deposit it in any place in its line of travel. INCREASING THE CAPACITY.

In addition to the large plant now In operation? the company have found it necessary, owing to the increase of the custom ore business, to add two water-jacket blast furnaces, whlchwill double the present capacity of the smelter. These furnaces are now in course of construction; the foundations are all prepared and await the arrival of the furnaces fcom the factory. Another blowing engine with a similar capacity to the one at present employed is also being made. These machines will receive power from a 500 horse power electric motor, which is being installed to replace the one now in use, which is found to be inadequate to the demands placed upon it. Until quite recently the company generated Its own electricity, but it was found cheaper and safer, partly owing to the scarcity of water tor steam purposes, to take the power from the Bay Counties Power Company; consequently a contract was entered into with the Bay Counties Power Company for a supply of 500 horse power dally, about 350 power of which is being received at present.

TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES. The company's transportation facilities are excellent No situation on the Pacific Coast could be more advantageous than this with regard to traffic. The smelter Is connected di- i A k- I I A f. GUTTER IV MAKES THE SKEV a CHRISTMAS CHEER i i BANK OF MARTINEZ..