The mining industry other than coal is quite rapidly reaching importance
among our industries. There are in the state three large smelters,
whose annual output of precious metals far surpasses in value the
output of our coal mines. The ores for these values, however, do
not all come from the mines of this state. Other states, British
Columbia, Alaska, and some foreign countries help furnish the ores.
But Washington has within its borders a great mineralized territory,
not yet thoroughly prospected and very little developed, yet which
materially assists in supplying these smelters with their ores.
[Illustration: Plate No. 17.--Ocean-Going Raft, Built at Stella,
Cowlitz County, by the Oregon Rafting Company.]
[Illustration: Plate No. 18.--COWLITZ COUNTY TIMBER. This Stick
Was 301 Feet Long and 36 Feet in Circumference at Stump.]
The smelter at Everett receives a steady supply of arsenical ores
of copper, lead, gold, silver and zinc from the mines of Snohomish
county which are of magnitude sufficient to make profitable the
railroad which has been built to Monte Cristo
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purposely for these ores. This smelter has a special plant for
saving the arsenic in these ores, which materially adds to the
value of its output and is said to be the only one of its kind in
the nation.
Besides the mines at Monte Cristo, there are copper mines being
successfully worked at Index, whose ores are shipped both to Everett
and Tacoma.
At Tacoma is located one of the largest smelting and refining plants
in the nation, which draws its ores from all parts of the world. At
North Port in Stevens county is a smelter which is chiefly supplied
with ores from this state, supplemented by those of British Columbia.
At Republic in Ferry county are mines producing gold and silver
ores of such extent as to have induced the building of a branch
line of railroad to carry their ores to this smelter. There are
also in Stevens county large deposits of silver-lead ores, which
will be large producers as soon as better transportation is secured.
This last statement is also true regarding many mines in other
counties.