The construction and operation of coke ovens at Fernie, B.C., 1899.
The completion of the Crow's Nest Pass line allowed the coal mines to develop in response to the needs of the smelters further west and the prairie settlers market. Coke for smelting is made by heating coal which drives off the volatile gases. The man in the foreground is charging the fire under the coal which was loaded into the ovens from rail lines running along the top.
